The Best Ginger Snaps

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The Best Ginger Snaps

Today's recipe comes to you courtesy of the ladies of the household. Spouse loves anything ginger and this is her recipe for crispy ginger snaps, one of the most perfect coffee or tea cookies. Number 1 kid dressed them up for Christmas with some simple snowflake designs which were piped on using royal icing in a simple Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off; no special decorating equipment required. It's another great recipe for the Christmas freezer or at any time of year.

The Best Ginger Snaps

The Best Ginger Snaps

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

The Best Ginger Snaps - thin crispy spiced cookies with plenty of warm ginger flavor.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 13 - 18 minutes
Total time: About 2 1/2 hours including cholling time for the cookie dough.
Yield: About 2 dozen 3 inch cookies.
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup mollasses
• FOR THE ROYAL ICING
• 1 large egg white
• About 1 1/4 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• pinch cream of tartar

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
2. Cream together the shortening, butter, sugars and molasses until light and fluffy.
3. Fold in the dry ingredient mixture until a soft dough forms.
4. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until the dough is well chilled.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Roll out to about 1/8 of an inch or a little thicker.
7. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes depending upon the size of your cookies. The cookies pictured were made using a 3 inch cookie cutter and took about 17 minutes. You don't want to under bake them or they will not be crispy.
9. Store in airtight containers. Freezes well.
10. TO MAKE THE ROYAL ICING beat together the egg white, cream of tartar and about 1 cup of the icing sugar until light and fluffy.
11. Beat in the remaining icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until the icing reaches a spreadable consistency.
12. Use a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to draw on snowflake patterns.