Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies
User Reviews
4.6
Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies
Description
This recipe combines vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, molasses, egg, and vanilla with a dry mix of flour, baking soda, and an array of warm spices including ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and nutmeg. The spices create a layered flavor elevating the typical ginger snap profile. After mixing the dough, chilling for at least an hour improves dough handling and cookie texture.
Dough balls are rolled in a coarse sugar mixture of turbinado and granulated sugar, which caramelizes and adds crunch during baking. Cookies are spaced well on parchment-lined trays and baked at 350°F, resulting in a crisp exterior that snaps when bitten, with spiced warmth carrying through each bite.
These old fashioned gingersnaps can be frozen as dough balls or baked cookies for convenience. Keeping baked cookies in a non-airtight container softens them into a chewier texture over several hours, allowing baker’s preference to adjust softness after baking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening 150 g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 190 g
- 1/2 cup molasses unsulphured, 165 g
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature, large
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour 350 g
- 2 tsp baking soda 10 g
- 1 tbsp ground ginger 15 g
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon 10 g
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg or 1/2 tsp pre-ground nutmeg, freshly grated
- ½ cup sugar 95 g, to roll dough in
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar 48 g, to roll dough in
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream shortening and sugar for about 3 minutes.
- Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix again until everything is combined.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, and the grated nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches (I did about a third of the dry ingredients at a time, mixing in well after each addition).
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill the gingersnap dough in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees C).
- Mix turbinado sugar and the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar together on a large plate.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out dough and roll gently into balls. Roll the cookie dough in the sugar on the plate until fully coated in sugar.
- Place each sugar-coated cookie ball 2 inches apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees C (180 degrees C) for 6 minutes, turn the baking sheets 180 degrees for even baking, then bake for another 6-7 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully transferring to a wire cooling rack to completely cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Keep in an airtight container to keep the gingersnaps snappy for 3-5 days. They will soften the older they are.
Notes
- Freeze unbaked dough balls or baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 6 months for later use.
- To achieve softer, chewier gingersnaps, store baked cookies in a not airtight container at room temperature for several hours.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 30cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 140kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 23g | 8% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Cholesterol | 6mg | 2% |
| Sodium | 75mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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