My First Reader Request!
A reader emailed me to see if I had a good Ginger Snap recipe. So here is my favourite: Cream together 3/4 c margarine with 1 c sugar. Add 1/4 c molasses and one beaten egg and then beat together. Combine 2 c flour, 1/4 t salt, 2 t baking soda and 1 t each cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Add to creamed mixture, Mix well. Roll into balls, then sugar. Press with a fork. Now the flatter you press the more snap the cookie will have, I slightly press because we like our chewy. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes (check after 10 minutes because of variable thickness).
There are differences of opinion as to how ‘spicy’ a gingersnap cookie should be, and for that very reason I will tell you how to adjust the batter to suit your own individual taste. One way to increase spiciness is to add, along with the other spices, a 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper or a 1/4 cup of finely diced candied ginger (instead of using it as a garnish ). Another idea is to add a little more molasses to the batter or use ‘dark’ molasses instead of ‘light’. There are two types of molasses generally used in baking; light and dark. I use dark molasses to produce a cookie with more robust flavour but it can overpower the other spices. Light molasses comes from the first boiling of the sugar syrup and is lighter in flavor and color than the dark molasses which comes from the second boiling. Molasses is used in baked goods, not only for flavor, but also for colour and moistness. Also, because molasses does stick to your measuring cup , it is a good idea to lightly spray it with a nonstick vegetable spray before pouring in the molasses.