Ginger Snaps and Molasses Cookies
By Ivorwen
My husband's grandpa always kept a tin of ginger snaps in his desk drawer, ready to share. My husband thought they were some of the most delightful cookies, and when he inherited the desk, decided he needed some cookies to go with it. This sent me on a quest to find a ginger-molasses cookies recipe we all enjoyed.
These two, Swedish Ginger Snaps and Molasses Sugar Cookies, are my favorites. Serve with coffee, chi tea, hot cocoa or vanilla-bean ice cream. They also make wonderful gifts.
Swedish Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup bacon grease
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1/3 cup dark molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, cream together bacon grease and sugar. Add in egg and molasses. Add remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine.
- Shape dough into walnut sized balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with fingers or the bottom of a glass.
- Bake until cookies are golden and cracked on top, 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in and airtight container.
Makes: 3 dozen
I love to use this recipe as the crust for my cheese cake. Simply press the dough into the pan 1/4" thick and bake 15 minutes.
Molasses Sugar Cookies
Makes: 3-9 dozen cookies, 3" - 1" across
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 cups granulated sugar, plus more to roll the cookies in before baking
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 357 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large sized bowl beat butter, eggs, sugar and molasses together.
- In a second bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add to first mixture and mix well.
- Bake as directed, cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
- To make 3" cookies form golf ball sized balls, roll in extra sugar and place 3" apart on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.
- To make 2" cookies form 1" balls, roll in extra sugar and place 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.
- To make 1" crisp cookies, use a cookie press. You may want to add extra flour to the dough, to prevent the cookies from spreading too much. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until edges are brown, 6-8 minutes.
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Ivorwen, 2009.
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Comments
Ivorwen,
These sound like great recipes, and I shall have to try them! My grandpa usually had ginger snaps around too, and sometimes my mom would serve ginger snap ice cream sandwiches for dessert--two cookies with creamy vanilla ice cream between them. They were cold to bite, but oh so good. And I love the idea of using the cookie dough for a cheese cake crust. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks you two! Do let me know how you like them.
I love the idea of making ice cream sandwiches with them.
I have a recipe very similar to your second one, but bacon grease is a new idea to me in cookies. I'll bet it's fabulous. I'll let you know what the family thinks, whenever I wind up with enough leftover grease to try them.
This is one recipe it is worth saving grease for!
Ooooh! Looks hot and yummy. I'm craving already :) Thanks dear.
There is one cure for craving: baking! Enjoy!
It's not nice to bring back such memories. My mom made these, and they're to die for. Thanks for the recipe and the memories.
It is amazing how a simple cookie can create so many fond memories.
Them there ginger snaps sho' look good....!
A tasty hub, this.
Thank you, LEWJ!
These two cookie recipes look yummy.I will have to give them both a try
Thank you rios65. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Mmmm. . . bacon grease in cookies? Sounds suspiciously (and deliciously) like what we enjoy here in the South! :) These both sound wonderful!
Thanks Merriweather. I think the south has some of the best food around.
I think my husband would love these, too - he is from Michigan and his mom and sisters always made these kinds of cookies for him. I'm still trying to find a wonderful recipe I had years ago and lent out never to see again but it was for gingerbread baskets and ginger cookies - it was the lightest recipe I ever had and I so wish I could find it again - but yours look yum-yum-yum!
Sorry to hear about the lost recipe. I hate it when that happens! I am guessing by light, they had no molasses in them, just ginger. I might have a recipe like that, in one of my 100+ year old cookbooks.
My daughter and I have started cooking a lot together. I am going to try this with her soon.
Thanks for this great hub!
- Harlan
Thanks Harlan! Have fun with your daughter. :)
Sweet story, reminded me of my grandpa and his chocolate covered cherries. :)
alekhouse 2 years ago
Wow, both of these recipes look great. I am definitely going to try them...both of them. Thanks