These wonderful cookies are made with an old family recipe from Grandma Edna, who grew up on a Colorado farm and learned to cook delicious meals for hungry farm workers. What a fabulous cook and grandmother.
Home Baked Ginger Snap Cookies are Truly Special and this 100 Year-Old Recipe is the Best and Most Delicious
These cookies make a charming Christmas tradition and Santa loves them, too. These ginger cookies are wonderful treats for Thanksgiving and for Christmas as delightful snacks, home-baked gifts, or party goodies. Crisp and thin, these delicious cookies are perfect with afternoon tea parties, dunking in morning coffee, or after school with milk.
Grandma Edna’s Ginger Cookies (World's Best Ginger Snaps)
Author's note:
Gma's recipe says to chill in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight, but my sister doesn't chill hers.
We think that sometimes Grandma Edna would roll the dough into logs, chill, and later slice the dough.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1-cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp molasses
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Author's note: When you are going to bake - Read entire recipe.)
- Cream together shortening and brown sugar until well mixed, light, and fluffy.
- Beat together well the egg, salt, and molasses and then mix these into the above. (Author's note: Grandma beat and mixed these by hand.)
- Sift together flour, baking soda, ground cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
- Add dry ingredients to first wet mixture and combine well.
- Chill in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight.
- After chilled, shape dough into balls about walnut sized and place balls on a greased cookie sheet, allowing room for expansion.
- Flatten balls with a fork.
- Bake in 350-degree oven 12 to 15 min. Do not let get too brown.
Grandma liked these cookies thin and crisp. Experiment and adapt to suit taste, size and desired consistency. Grandma's were about 2 1/2" in diameter.
A quote from Grandma Edna:
"In my oven, 12 minutes is about the right time. Otherwise they get too brown. This makes a very rich cookie. I like to add a little more flour (maybe 1/4 cup) and add a tiny bit of water, maybe 1 Tbsp."
Tip: Keep crisp for several days by storing in an airtight container. These freeze nicely.
Ideas To Package Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies as Homemade Holiday Gifts:
- Hand copy this recipe on a pretty recipe card. Put dry ingredients in labeled Ziploc bags (as mixed above) and place all in a pretty basket. Perhaps include a small bottle of molasses. Add ribbons and gift-wrapping “shred” in festive colors.
- Bake cookies and arrange on a fancy silver, crystal, or dollar-store platter, depending on budget and recipient. A basket, as above, also makes a pretty presentation.
- Keep cookies on hand in small, cute, airtight containers, tied with ribbons. These make the perfect little goodies for unexpected guests, as hostess gifts, and presents for home helpers such as the gardener and postal worker.
Try these delicious old-fashioned cookies and enjoy a taste of America's past.
Other Articles of Possible Interest:
Christmas Afternoon Tea Party Tips
Afternoon Tea Party Planning 101
English Afternoon Tea for Seniors
Or see the website: Christmas Tea Party Ideas
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
