Jennys Grandmas Gingersnaps Master Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the butter and 1 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. While mixing on low speed, add the molasses and egg, and beat well. Stop the mixer, add the flours, salt, baking soda, and spices, mix on low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix just until the dough is smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Place the remaining 1 cup sugar on a large plate. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, roll them in the sugar to coat, and place on a well-greased sheet pan, making sure you give the cookies enough space to spread as they bake. Bake until golden brown (which will be a bit darker than other drop cookies because the dough is dark to begin with), about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack or paper towels and let cool completely.

Ginger Snap Cookie Variations

Apple-Gingery Gingersnaps

I really like Jennys ginger snap recipe and didnt want to alter it too much, but I thought that a tangy apple like Granny Smith would go great with the spices and molasses, so I tried it out. Diced very small and mixed into the dough, the apple gave just the right touch of texture and tang. Then, for just a bit more zip, I added chopped candied ginger and the zest of an orange, and ended up with a cookie that really satisfies.

Follow the directions for the gingersnaps master recipe. After removing the bowl from the mixer, add 1 medium green apple that has been peeled and cut into small dice, 1 tablespoon finely minced candied ginger, and the finely grated zest of 1 orange, and mix well by hand. Shape the dough, roll in sugar, and bake as directed in the master recipe.

Ginger Snap-Mascarpone Sandwiches

I thought the gingersnaps would be ideal candidates for making into cookie sandwiches, which make a fun presentation and a favorite cookie even more special. For this version I made the cookies a bit smaller and sandwiched them together with a simple, creamy, slightly sweet filling of mascarpone cheese and sugar. If you want to play off the flavor of the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon in the cookies even more, mix in a bit of lemon or orange oil (available in higher end cooking stores) to the filling.

Follow the directions for the gingersnaps master recipe, shaping the dough into smaller balls, about inch in diameter. Roll in sugar and bake as in the master recipe, decreasing the time to 10 to 12 minutes.

While the cookies are cooling, mix together 1 cup mascarpone cheese (page xx) with a dash of pure vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons powdered sugar. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the mascarpone mixture on top of a cooled cookie and set another cookie on top to make a sandwich. Continue with the remaining cookies and filling.