Sunday, December 21, 2008

"Had I But One Penny in the World, Thou Shouldst Have It for Gingerbread." --Wm. Shakespeare



I don't like crunchy cookies. I like them soft.

These gingersnaps are a family favorite but they don't snap so maybe we should call them Ginger Squishes or something along that line.

The secret is the cane sugar and the margarine. The one and only time I will use margarine is when I am making these cookies. If you substitute butter, they will be harder cookies. I recommend Parkay Margarine. If you use another brand, make sure you are not using one which consists largely of water or you will have a mess on your hands. Likewise, if you buy a "brown" sugar instead of true cane sugar, you will not get the best results. Many cheap brands of brown sugar are simply beet sugar with molasses. The taste is very bland in comparison. True cane sugar is tastier and safer for those of us on a gluten-free diet.


SOFT GINGERSNAPS 375F cookie sheets 12-15min. approx 3 dozen

1 cup light or dark cane sugar (C&H Brown Sugar)
3/4 cup Parkay margarine
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour ( for GF cookies use 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill
Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour sifted with 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger

some white sugar in a bowl, custard cup, or shallow mug


Cream the cane sugar and the margarine together.
Add the egg and mix well.
Add the molasses and mix well.
Stir the dry ingredients (except for the white sugar) together in a separate bowl and then mix into the wet ingredients a little at a time.

Chill the dough for at least one hour.

Roll into balls, roll the balls in white sugar, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees F.

You can really impress your guests by serving these, hot out of the oven, with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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