Today I’m making wholemeal ginger cookies using spelt flour and keeping the sugar to a minimum. These cookies are light, with a deep ginger flavour and a soft bite, perfect alongside a mug of hot milk on cold days.
What’s Happening?
Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed. My head is cluttered and distracted, and it’s affecting my ability to write the way I want. I crave clear, flowing prose full of life, but too often I find myself pulled into dry, dense texts that drain my creative energy.
I’m currently studying for a master’s in food policy, which I’ve mentioned before because it’s taken over a large part of my life and because it’s genuinely fascinating. When assignments are due, my days fill with writing, research, referencing and planning. I also have to get through a heavy reading list of books and papers, attend lectures and events, and take part in discussions. It’s demanding work.
It Feels Like Too Much
Some academic texts are written in such impenetrable language that I end up rereading the same paragraph several times. The jargon and dense prose can smother creativity; when I get stuck in that mode, my imaginative side retreats. I love the spirited, simple joy of books like Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and the contrast with academic writing is stark.
Keeping My Creativity
I consider myself a creative person. I love writing and making visuals, and I get impatient with purely technical tasks. So it’s unsettling to see my style change under the influence of academic work. Recent feedback on an assignment praised the analysis but noted that my “writing is acceptable but not fluent.” That stung — it felt like a warning that I’m losing touch with the voice I want to keep.
Cookie Break
When it all gets too much, I turn to cooking — and right now that means ginger. I’ve been using ginger in everything lately: a simple Ottolenghi-style okra dish, homemade golden milk and hearty soups. Given my recent ginger kick and a well-stocked cupboard, baking spicy, wholemeal ginger cookies felt like the right antidote.
These cookies are relatively light and fluffy. I’ve reduced the sugar compared with many recipes, and using wholemeal spelt flour and oats adds fibre and nutrients. The result is a dark, fiery ginger cookie with warmth and texture, perfect with a hot drink.
Just writing about them makes me want to bake another batch. Preheat the oven — it’s cookie time.
Enjoy!
Wholemeal Ginger Cookies
By Gavin Wren
4.3/54
Makes 16 cookies
Uses a baking sheet and an electric mixer.
PDF recipe card available
Ingredients
100g butter, at room temperature
150g soft dark brown sugar
1 large egg
100g wholemeal spelt flour
125g oats
2 teaspoons ground ginger
30g very finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Directions
Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 / 350ºF / 177ºC (157ºC fan). In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, then add the egg. Stir in the spelt flour, oats, ground ginger, grated fresh ginger and bicarbonate of soda until just combined — avoid overmixing.
Portion the dough into balls of about 2 tablespoons and place them on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Leave plenty of space between each ball because the cookies will spread. Bake in batches if necessary.
Bake for 15–17 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container if you’re not eating them straight away.