Half of my gramma’s recipe collection is desserts. She has so many cookie recipes that this week I let birthday boy Mike choose the cookie I made this week. He picked Gingersnaps. I don’t love ginger. I think that’s because when I’m barfing my face off while I’m pregnant, everyone wants to shove ginger in my mouth. It’s a non-pregnancy aversion now. But being Mike’s birthday, I said no problem and got the ingredients for the cookies. I figured if I didn’t like ’em, I could eat more of next week’s cookie. That’s how it works, right?

Gingersnaps

You need:

Gingersnap ingredients

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar, plus extra to roll cookies in
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

ready to bake

First, put on your seasonally appropriate baking gear.

mix shortening and sugar until fluffy

Beat sugar and shortening together until the mixture is fluffy.

add an egg

Add an egg, then beat it all together.

add molasses

Add molasses, then beat it all together…AGAIN.

mix dry ingredients

Mix together your dry ingredients.

dry goes into wet

Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, beat for the millionth time, until the mixture is smooth.

fun time

Make reindeer antlers!!

sugar on a plate, mmm

Put sugar on a plate – you’re going to roll cookie dough in it.

one. inch. balls.

Roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls, then roll through the sugar.

"helping"

Don’t be jealous of my sous-chef.

Helping herself

Then she helped herself to some sugar and was fired.

Gingersnaps

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies spread and the tops crack.

fistful of cookies

Yeah.

delicious

Rudolph Mike has already eaten almost all the cookies, so I’d say he likes them.

Happy birthday, Mike!

 

Gingersnaps
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3 dozen cookies
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar, plus extra to roll cookies in
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Beat together shortening and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add egg and beat well, then add molasses and beat well.
  3. Stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon.
  4. Add to wet ingredients, beating until smooth and blended.
  5. Gather up bits of dough and roll between palms of hands into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in sugar.
  6. Place each ball about 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes, until cookies spread and tops crack.
  8. Cool on a rack.