Gingersnap Cookies

A stack of cookies next to a glass of milk.

The last time I made cookies was February 12, when I made Chocolate Chips. I just don’t keep sweet stuff around. I am totally a salt freak. If you put anything sugary next to a Âbig bowl of buttered popcorn, I would be running off with the salty, buttery popcorn every time. And if I never ate chocolate again, that would be fine with me, too.

But over Memorial Day weekend, I all of a sudden had this craving for cookies. Little sweet crunchy ones that could be dunked in creamy sugary coffee. It had to be Gingersnaps. I also think I was stalling. I was putting off making and photographing the Potato Salad with Buttermilk Dressing that had been making me so crazy. You can read the previous post for that story.

This Gingersnap recipe was handed down from my mother, who used to make them in the 1950s. They are a little bit of nostalgia from my childhood, so I guess I have been making them for about 50 years. They fill the house with the smell of cinnamon, ginger and allspice. So delicious and enticing.

If you like them soft in the middle, bake them a minute less. If you like them more crunchy, bake them the full 12 minutes. They freeze well in a big ziplock bag, so you can eat one per day for a month. I said the recipe makes about 48 cookies, so what you freeze will be less the dozen or so Gingersnaps you eat while they are still warm. They’re that good.

A plate of food with meat, avocado and oranges.

 


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Gingersnap Cookies

350 degrees 12 minutes 4 dozen

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup salted butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice

sugar for rolling

1. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl with a fork. Mix in the egg and molasses.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and ginger. Mix into the egg/molasses mixture in 4 parts.

3. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls or use a 1 1/4 -inch ice cream scoop. Roll in sugar to coat thoroughly. Place 15 on a cookie sheet.

4. Bake 11-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and cool flat on paper. (I use newspaper).

 

15 Comments

  1. Lentil Breakdown on 06/04/2010 at 12:10 am

    The food porn sites will be hacking into your blog to get their paws on these glorious shots. I make ginger cookies too, but I use cloves and some crystallized ginger, but the recipe sounds similar.

  2. cathy x. on 06/05/2010 at 12:55 pm

    i’m saving this one to my favourites to try later.. the sooner than later kind of later! i can’t wait to try these all soft and chewy, although i might try to make them with melted butter so they stay chewy without needing to undercook. well.. we’ll see what happens! :P* do you just buy molasses from your local grocery store? i have a feeling i might have to put some hard yards in to track the stuff down over here in australia..

  3. Mary @ Bites and Bliss on 06/05/2010 at 3:14 pm

    Oh I love gingersnap cookies! They’re always part of holiday baking gifts. It’s never a bad time for holiday flavors. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

  4. Cristina @ TeenieCakes on 06/06/2010 at 8:18 am

    Beautiful presentation of these Gingersnap cookies. That photo with the milk is absolutely edible.

    Lynne – it was nice to meet you at Camp a couple of weeks ago. Hope all has been well.

  5. Grapefruit on 06/06/2010 at 2:54 pm

    Gorgeous photos! I was looking for a simple gingersnap recipe, I think this might just be it. Will try these soon – maybe tonight!
    Thanks for sharing.

  6. redmenace on 06/06/2010 at 5:26 pm

    Wow! Gorgeous cookies. I’ve never been very successful at the gingersnap, but I could sure use a good ginger cookie right now! Thanks!

  7. Cherine on 06/06/2010 at 5:38 pm

    Wonderful cookies. A fabulous treat!

  8. sippitysup.com on 06/06/2010 at 11:59 pm

    These are some glorious GingerSnaps and I of course remember our fun-filled and informative lunch together at CampB. GREG

  9. Monet on 06/07/2010 at 12:06 am

    Lynn,
    So happy to have found your site! I love gingersnaps with a cup of tea in the evening. My cookie jar is empty and these might have to be the next ones I bake!

  10. Vivienne on 06/07/2010 at 12:49 pm

    Wow – those cookies look friggin’ perfectttt in the first photo! Delish!

  11. Grace-Marie on 06/09/2010 at 4:37 pm

    You bet I’ll be making these soon! Great pics!

  12. joanne on 12/19/2010 at 8:37 pm

    wow! great gingersnap photo. I’ve spent the day turning out cookies for Christmas and can’t seem to find the one I made last year that was wonderful. The ones I made today came out cakey. I measured. Not sure what happened.Well anyway yours look fabulous and their next. After my feet stop throbbing from standing all day in the kitchen. I love your website.

  13. joanne on 12/22/2010 at 12:36 am

    I just baked a batch of these cookies and they are wonderful. This is a recipe that will go in my file. I hope they last until Christmas. They smell terrific in the oven. And they are as beautiful as the photograph. Thanks Lynne. This recipe from your mom is a winner.

    • Lynne on 12/22/2010 at 1:22 am

      Hi Joanne ~ I’m really glad you liked these cookies. Thanks for letting me know you made them. Now that you reminded me how good they smell, I’m going to have to make some myself. lol. Lynne xo

  14. Ramya on 01/20/2012 at 8:29 pm

    Hi,
    Ive never had a success in baking molasses cookies but not this time with your recipe. I now have perfectly baked thin, crisp, chewy gingersnaps to pair with my coffee. Thanks a lot.

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A woman with glasses smiling for the camera.Hello! My name is Lynne Hemer, and I am a woman obsessed with food and cooking, in search of new, unusual, exotic, and sublime ingredients and recipes. I love reading cookbooks, taking cooking classes, going to restaurants, photographing food, and blogging about it all! I hope you enjoy my website as much as I enjoyed creating it.

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