Gingersnaps

I have been making this recipe since I was about 13 years old. It comes from Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Cookies." The cookies are not super soft, but they are not the hard type either; Maida calls them "semi-soft." My mother and I like to add some fresh ginger, as well as come chopped crystallized ginger for an extra gingery cookie! The cookies in the photo were rolled in black sugar for Halloween.


2 1/4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
6 oz butter
1 C dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
1/2 C finely chopped crystallized ginger
Granulated sugar (to roll the cookies in)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and fresh ginger and beat well. Add the egg and the molasses, and beat until the mixture is light in color. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl as you go. Fold in the crystallized ginger. Refrigerate the dough until you can handle it (as little as 15 minutes).

Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Use a rounded tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll it into a ball between your hands, and then roll around in the sugar to coat. Place the balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes at 375 degrees, until they feel semi-firm to the touch. The tops should just be cracked. Transfer to racks to cool. Makes approximately 36 cookies.