The Cookie That Keeps Santa Coming Back
The warm, spicy notes of ginger have been delighting holiday bakers for generations, bringing a distinctive zesty heat to everything from traditional gingerbread houses to gingersnap cookies. When incorporated into baked goods, this versatile spice creates the signature flavor that signals the most wonderful time of the year has arrived.
Gingersnap Cookies
Yields 5 Dozen Cookies
Ingredients
¾ cup vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
⅓ cup molasses
2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
For the Sugar Coating
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the shortening, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl and beat. Crack the egg into the bowl and beat. Spoon the molasses into the bowl and beat. Place the flour, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves into the bowl; beat until the dough is smooth and somewhat stiff.
For the sugar coating, place the cinnamon and sugar into a shallow dish; stir to combine.
Roughly shape cookie dough into 1-inch balls and roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar. Place each sugar-coated dough ball onto the prepared baking sheets; leave 1 ½ inches between each dough ball.
Place the baking sheets into the oven. If you want crisp cookies around the edges but softer in the center, bake for 11 minutes. If you prefer cookies that are overall crispier, bake for 13 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Once cooled completely, cookies can be stored tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Find more Christmas cookie recipes here:
Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe with Easy Icing
Italian Pizzelle Cookies – A Holiday Tradition
