Oh Snap! Ginger Snap Cookies

I really enjoy baking year round, but there’s something about the holiday season that has me reaching for my apron!

I’ve never been much of a ginger bread cookie fan, but after having some ginger snap cookies from Trader Joes last week, I was hooked! They were so good and all I could think about! Sunday afternoon, my Mom & I were trying to get into the Christmas spirit (peep some snaps from our day in my latest Blogmas post) and we decided to try and whip up a batch of our own ginger snaps.

I like to bake, but I’m no pro. I rely heavily on good old Google when it comes to finding a great recipe. The first recipe I stumbled upon had excellent rating and seemed simple enough, so we gave it a try. To my surprise, they didn’t come out good, they came out really, really good!

I used this recipe and will copy & paste it below. I did tweak a couple of things so I’m going to note my changes!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shortening (I used butter instead!)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.
3. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg, and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.

They came out SO YUMMY! They’re crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Once baked, they were a bit larger than I had hoped. Next time I make them I’ll probably roll them a little bit smaller and bake for only 7-8 minutes. 🙂

Have you ever made ginger snaps before? They’re easy, yummy, and smell so delicious. I think this may be my new go-to holiday cookie recipe! I’m going to make another batch before Christmas.

Let me know if you decide to give them a try!

XOXO