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Old Fashioned Gingersnaps

Dated: December 15, 2020, Last Modified: December 18, 2020

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These old fashioned gingersnaps will take you right back to your 10-year-old self at Grandma's house over the holidays. They smell and taste like Christmas: full of warm spice, with a crisp outside and chewy inside. I have no doubt they'll easily become a staple on your Christmas cookie platter.


gingersnaps in a stack
Gingersnaps in a stack.

Jump to:
  • About
  • Key Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Notes
  • Old Fashioned Gingersnaps


About

My Grandma usually makes gingersnaps in between Thanksgiving and Christmas to tide us over on desserts until we frost our Christmas cookies. I remember biting into them as a kid and being so intrigued by the taste, because they were so unlike any other cookie I'd had!

This is why these old fashioned gingersnaps are perfect for the holidays- they truly taste like Christmas.

These are "old fashioned" gingersnaps because they use shortening instead of butter. The shortening allows the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon spices to really stand out.

Plus, this is my Grandma Jean's recipe, so you can take it from her- they are the real deal!


Key Ingredients

Old fashioned gingersnap ingredients.

Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cloves

The reason these are so delicious is because of the warm spice flavors that the 3 ingredients bring. They're earthy, spicy, and make the gingersnaps taste like Christmas.

Molasses

Though the molasses will smell strong when you're mixing and spooning the dough, it bakes into the cookies wonderfully and gives these cookies a warm aroma and deep, earthy taste.

Don't substitute anything for the molasses- it's a key part of this cookie!

Brown Sugar

The crisp outside and chewy inside is thanks to brown sugar! This is what really brings the molasses and spices together.

Shortening

Though shortening isn't as common in today's recipes, it has many good qualities. Specifically for these old fashioned gingersnap cookies, the shortening doesn't overpower the spices and molasses like butter would. This allows for the true gingersnap taste to come through.

You can substitute butter if you'd like, but they won't quite taste the same!


Instructions

Make the Dough

  1. Mix shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses. Make sure your egg is at room temperature so all of the ingredients come together without clumping.
    • If it still looks a little clumpy after this step, don't worry! The flour will bring it all together.
    • Pro tip: if you didn't take your egg out early enough to come to room temperature, pop it in a bowl and run it under warm water for a minute or two. It'll warm right up!
Ingredients mixed together.
Shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses mixed together.
  1. Mix in baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Then add in the flour. Mix until just combined. Adding the baking soda first will ensure that it gets evenly distributed throughout the dough.
    • Once you no longer see any flour that's not mixed in, stop mixing! You don't want to overmix at this stage or you may end up with tough cookies.
flour mixed into the dough
Flour and spices mixed into the dough.

Rest the Dough

  1. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This allows the dough to rest, creating a more tender cookie, and also allows the flavors to meld together.

Bake the Dough

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the tops into the sugar.
  3. Place dough sugar-side-up about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Dough balls rolled in sugar
Dough dipped in sugar.
  1. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look like little cookie puffs of deliciousness. They'll be puffy when they come out of the oven, and then they'll flatten a bit as they cool.

Notes

Can I make gingersnaps ahead of time?

Yes! You can make these old fashioned gingersnaps ahead of time and freeze them for up to 3 months.

How do I store gingersnaps?

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

When should I make gingersnaps?

The spice and molasses of gingersnaps make them ideal for the holiday season. You can make them up to 3 months in advance and keep them in the freezer, or store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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gingersnaps ona  plate
Gingersnaps on a plate.

gingersnaps in a stack

Old Fashioned Gingersnaps

These old fashioned gingersnaps will take you right back to your 10-year-old self at Grandma's house over the holidays. They smell and taste like Christmas, and are full of spice, with a crisp outside and chewy inside. I have no doubt they'll easily become a staple on your Christmas cookie platter.
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Resting Time 1 hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 48 cookies
Calories 75 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup shortening
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar for dipping

Instructions
 

Make the Dough

  • Mix shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses.
  • Add in baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Then add in the flour. Mix until just combined.

Rest the Dough

  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Bake the Dough

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the tops into the sugar.
  • Place dough sugar-side-up about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 68mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5IUCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
Keyword brown sugar, ginger, molasses, spice
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Did you make these old fashioned gingersnaps? I want to know! Post it on social media, tag @battersandblessings, and add #battersandblessings so I can see your creation 🙂


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My name is Jo, and I'm so happy you're here! My husband, pup and I live in Georgia, though I'm a midwesterner at heart. I love Jesus, my family, and desserts, and sharing my recipes has been a dream of mine ever since my grandma taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies when I was just 10 years old.

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