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Christmas: Marvelous Gingersnaps

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"This gingersnap recipe was given to me by my friend the late Helen McCully, who was the distinguished food editor at McCall's and later at House Beautiful for many years. Helen was without a doubt the originator of exquisite food photography in fashionable magazines. She was not a photographer herself, but the dream was hers and she carried it through."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
â—¦ 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
â—¦ 6 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
â—¦ 1 cup sugar
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ ¼ cup molasses
â—¦ ½ to 1 cup coarse sugar crystals


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a cookie sheet (or use a nonstick sheet).

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Stir together thoroughly and set aside. With an electric mixer or in a food processor, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and molasses and mix thoroughly.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until well blended (but don't overbeat or the cookies will be tough).

Sprinkle the sugar crystals on a work surface.
Roll teaspoonfuls of the dough between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar crystals and place them 2 ½ to 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press down on them slightly with your hand.

Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until firm but not brown on the top or the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or so and then transfer them to racks or foil to cool completely. As soon as they have cooled, store them in an airtight container or freeze them.

Makes about 50 cookies



• Don't try to make these gingersnaps in hot, humid weather—they won't be crisp.