Gingersnaps

For many, many years, I never even thought about gingersnap cookies as something other than what you get in those brown bags at the store. While searching online for recipes several years ago, I came across a recipe for gingersnaps, and when I read it, I knew that this was a very traditional and very good recipe. My copy is now covered in butter, flour, and molasses splashes. Lovingly used you might say. But I don't make these often throughout the year. These are winter and Christmas cookies. And they are always a hit! Pure perfection in a cookie.

NOTE: the ingredients are for a batch of cookies. The photos I took was when I was making a double batch!

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon in small bowl.

Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg and mix completely.

Gradually add flour mixture to ingredients and mix well.

I chill my dough for about an hour before shaping them into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar.

 

Place balls on cookie sheet. Recipe calls for 2-inches apart, but I've never put mine that far. They don't spread too much. I lightly flatten mine with my forefinger and middle finger before baking. I think it helps form the perfect shape that I get with mine. Bake for about 12 minutes.  I actually bake mine for about 8.5 to 9 minutes, but my oven is crazy old and temperamental. With a normal oven, I think they baked about 9.5 to 10 minutes. Just watch them. They should not look fully cooked, but should be fairly flat and look like a cookie and not a doughy mass. They will finish cooking after you remove them from the oven. I let mine sit for a couple of minutes before I try to move them or they will fall apart. Enjoy a few of these warm and you will never buy another bag of gingersnap cookies again!