A few years ago, I was a leader in my college group and had made it my personal mission to find someone to pull under my wing. I have no idea why I felt like I needed to transition into Mr. Miyagi, but I did, and there was a new crop of freshman coming in to Davis that year, and I knew my little guy was in there somewhere. I had no idea that I would indeed find a freshman to love, mentor and spend time with, but that she would be significantly taller than me, and I’d only get to keep her for a year. To this day, she is still one of my favorite people to snapchat with, and I can’t make Snickersnaps without thinking of her, because we made the very first batch together in my tiny South Davis kitchen.
I’ve since found a few recipes on Pinterest that are somewhat similar, but most of them use powdered ginger, and I can’t in good conscience, make a cookie that way. (#gratedorbust) Fresh ginger, molasses and my Aunt Charlene’s Snickerdoodle recipe make for unbelievably good cookies.
Happy fall, y’all.
Ingredients
- Chewy Ginger Cookies:
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp (I usually add 3, because I like things really gingery, but that's up to you) grated fresh ginger
- 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- Aunt Charlene's Snickerdoodle Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt (none if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Chewy Ginger Cookies - Beat ginger, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, adding in molasses and egg. Combine flour, soda and salt, and add to the wet ingredients until just combined. Chill for at least 1 hour (This step is super important. The cookies won't combine as well if you don't give it enough time to chill.)
- Aunt Charlene's Snickerdoodle Cookies - Mix the wet ingredients well creaming butter and sugar first. Add eggs in one at a time, and then vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients slowly.
- Once the ginger cookie dough has chilled, and you've finished with the snickerdoodle dough, get another 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon to roll the cookies. I like to use sugar in the raw, because the crystals are bigger and it looks prettier when baked, but that's totally up to you. Take between 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp of each dough, roll them together so they marble, and then roll them in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an un-greased sheet pan, and bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.
You are welcome for the new joy in your life, and I’m sorry for the addiction it creates. Also, these two recipes together make ~8 dozen cookies, so feel free to make some and freeze the rest of the dough for up to 6 months. I’d freeze them each separately, but that’s mainly because I’m really fond of the marbling that happens.
