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:
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
First, put on your seasonally appropriate baking gear.
Beat sugar and shortening together until the mixture is fluffy.
Add an egg, then beat it all together.
Add molasses, then beat it all together…AGAIN.
Mix together your dry ingredients.
Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, beat for the millionth time, until the mixture is smooth.
Make reindeer antlers!!
Put sugar on a plate – you’re going to roll cookie dough in it.
Roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls, then roll through the sugar.
Don’t be jealous of my sous-chef.
Then she helped herself to some sugar and was fired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies spread and the tops crack.
Yeah.
Rudolph Mike has already eaten almost all the cookies, so I’d say he likes them.
Happy birthday, Mike!
- 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
- Beat together shortening and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and beat well, then add molasses and beat well.
- Stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon.
- Add to wet ingredients, beating until smooth and blended.
- Gather up bits of dough and roll between palms of hands into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in sugar.
- Place each ball about 2-inches apart on greased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes, until cookies spread and tops crack.
- Cool on a rack.
Annie @ Annie's Cooking Lab says:
Those look sooo good! I love cookies that crack on the top like that. Also love how serious Annie looks when you’re pouring the sugar on the plate
liz says:
You know how some people’s kids are the very best birth control ever?
Your kid makes me want to go have babies. Lots and lots of babies. She is just too cute!
sharon says:
Those look like they taste really good!
Susan says:
We would always put a small red hot candy in the middle of the cookie before baking them. It makes them kind of festive for Christmas. Happy eating!
Meg says:
Happy birthday, Mike! These look great — I love gingersnaps. I’ve never made them from scratch, though (tsk, tsk!).
Shan says:
Annie is adorable in those pics!!!! I myself don’t like gingersnaps…but Carter loves them. We may have to fit these into our holiday baking..we were planning on peanut butter kiss cookies this weekend!
Glenda says:
happy birthday mike! those cookies look delish… i love me some gingersnaps… :0
allie says:
can’t wait to try these! i have a cookie swap holiday party next week! guess i know what to make
meoskop says:
Add a 1/4 tsp of white pepper. It sounds crazy but it makes them ammmaaazing.
Amy D. says:
Oooh! Those look good!
That face Mike is making while holding all those cookies reminds me of when he played the villain in that video from a while ago
G says:
Hi Heather,
I noticed that you like to wear stripes.
Good for you!
Merry Christmas
Karin
Kay says:
I’m kind of jealous looking at these photos. This recipe looks fantastic, just like all of Grammas recipes. I always wanted to try gingersnaps because I’ve heard amazing things about them, but since I’m allergic to all the lovely fall/wintertime spices (including ginger) I can’t even make them. I suppose I will just longingly look at your photos for now.
Kim says:
I tried the homemade marshmallows and the cinnamon pull apart bread today. Oh yum! I haven’t tried the marshmallows yet (waiting 24 hours for them to dry) but they’re looking very good!
edenland says:
REINDEER ANTLERS.
So, I see your molasses in the ingredients there .. I have a resentment against molasses. I bought all the shit needed to bake a gingerbread house from scratch, came home and realised I needed mofo molasses.
WHAT THE HELL …. we don’t *have* molasses in Australia. So now, a week later, I’ve slowly eaten my way through all the roof decorations I bought. And now I’m jiggly.
This is all America’s fault, Heather.
Julie says:
Every single day, that baby of yours makes me SMILE!!! Thank you!
Megan says:
I’m sorry, cookies, you exist? I was too busy staring at Annie’s cuteness. The apron. The hat. The cheeks. I can’t even.
(That and your fantastic, festive kitchen. Love it.)
Elizabeth says:
Since you are going with a sugar-only theme in your cooking/baking for December, think about trying oreo truffles…Three ingredients, super delicious Just google and you;ll get the recipe!
Also, looking forward to making my own gingersnaps!
John Stephen says:
I myself don’t like gingersnaps…but Carter loves them. We may have to fit these into our holiday baking..we were planning on peanut butter kiss cookies this weekend!
Lori says:
Dear Heather,
thanks for doing the cooking series! i absolutely love them =) please keep the recipes coming!!!
PS i love your kitchen
Lori
PhaedraH says:
Where did you get the DARLING apron for Annie? It is so cute. I would love to get one from my little one. I love it!
Amanda says:
I made these for my holiday cookie swap at work and they were a huge hit! I think I’ll make another batch for my family Christmas party this weekend-maybe I’ll roll the dough in red and green sugar to make them a bit more festive! Thanks for the great recipe.
Leigh Elliott says:
I love all of your cooking posts but this one is one my favorites. Great photos and Annie is just too cute in these pics!!! I love cooking from my Nana’s recipes. It makes me feel close to her even if she can’t be here with me anymore. She also has a TON of desserts in her file. And about 10 recipes for blueberry lemon cake. Not kidding. Must have been her favorite.
Kimm W. says:
Thanks to this recipe my daughter is getting gingersnaps and hot chocolate for her birthday snack at school. I can’t wait to make these!
Maria says:
Hi Heather, long-time reader but infrequent commenter here! When I saw this recipe, I thought it looked identical to our family recipe that has been around at least 100 years. I felt like Phoebe on Friends when she found out her famous cookie recipe wasn’t from “Neslay Toolouse.” (Hopefully you’re a Friends fan!) I had to come back once I checked my recipe, but it’s only about 85% similar. They’re a family favorite here – especially for my dad, who likes them overbaked and extra snappy!
Heather says:
Love that episode! Our grandmas/great grandmas probably passed around all the same recipes!