Gingersnaps for a bright autumn day…

It’s a perfect day in October:  the sun is out, yet the air is crisp and cool.  The leaves are turning in our small university town in central Illinois.  There’s a physics potluck in a couple of days, so it’s the perfect time to make gingersnaps!

Janine’s Gingersnaps

This excellent recipe comes from Janine in my knitting group – or rather, she invited me to her knitting group here in Champaign IL after we met in the yarn aisle at the local supermarket.  Janine fills her time with baking, knitting, and inspiring her granddaughter!

I adjusted the recipe to make it gluten-free and suggest substitutions so that it can be vegan as well.  Experiment as you will!   Prep takes about ten minutes, with a further ten for baking;  this quantity makes 15-18 cookies, depending.

Ingredients:

¾ cup margarine or shortening – I use Earth Balance baking sticks
1 cup sugar – I use erithyritol
1 egg – or you can use a flax egg with ½ tsp xanthum gum
¼ cup molasses
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger

Optional:  Demerara (raw) sugar to roll the cookies in

Method:

1.   Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.    Cream the sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.

3.   Break the egg into a ¼ cup measure, add to the butter+sugar, then use the same cup to measure the molasses;  it will slide right out of the cup.  Mix well.

4.   Add dry ingredients and crystallized ginger.  Form into balls, and roll them in raw brown sugar, to give the snaps a bit of a crunch.  (I like to use a medium portioner or ice cream scoop to get mine the same size;  you can also use an oiled muffin pan.)

5.   Slide into the oven and back for 8-10 minutes, taking less time for softer cookies, and more time for crunchier ones.  Check them when you start to smell the ginger.

These cookies keep well for several days in an airtight tin.

Janine says:  I usually make a double batch as they disappear quickly;  they also freeze well if you can get them in the freezer while no one else is near.

Here is the recipe in .pdf form:  Janine’s Gingersnaps