There are some pretty great cookies out there. Some are filled, others have chunks of just about anything you can imagine, some are frosted or have sprinkled colored sugar for a glittered effect. Those are all nice cookies. But in my mind, the picture above is THE cookie. It's the one I dream about. It's the one that reminds me of my childhood. It is the cookie of my dreams -- the ginger snap (and in particular, the recipe pictured).
Before any one goes dissing my cookie, let me just explain why I love it so much. It's a humble looking cookie - no frills, no flash, just basic brown. I do love how it cracks when it bakes, producing this earthquake of a cookie with deep fissures. These cookies do sparkle, but only slightly because they're rolled in sugar - it's just not an over the top sparkle.
When I make these cookies, I feel a strange satisfaction because they actually look like they could've come from a package. They are perfectly round and plump - not flat like my chocolate chip cookies with random chippy mole hills poking up. One year, when I gave the ginger snaps to a neighbor she asked where I'd bought them because she had to get more. I grinned and thought to myself, "They really are that amazing!"
Here's the best part though - when I bite into a ginger snap, first it is sweet. But there's something else. It bites back! All of the spices - ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon - they want me to know they are there. This recipe is a soft ginger snap, so the "snap part" isn't from the sound of the cookie as one bites it, but from the little kick in its step as one TASTES it.
Growing up my mom made this cookie as part of our traditional Christmas goodie parade. I know I could make it any time of the year, but I choose to bring out the recipe only at Christmastime. I look forward to it every year. I double and even triple the recipe. I always feel just a little sad when the last bag of frozen cookies is removed from the freezer and eaten. But oh how I enjoy eating each and every cookie! And now the love has been passed on to the Hubby and kiddoes.
Thank you cookie gods for creating the Ginger Snap. And thank you Sister Benson for your blessed recipe!
3 comments:
Tonight we will finish the 5th batch of this recipe. Yummmy! I think I just may have to do one more!
I remember the 4th of July, 1983 in Frankfurt, Germany. Our usual group of friends were coming to celebrate, eat pizza etc. Karla Smith arrived early while I was baking THE COOKIE. She proceeded to eat almost 3 dozen of them fresh out of the oven. Needless to say she didn't eat any celebratory pizza.
It's hard to eat just one of these cookies.
Okay I think I just spent an hour on your blog looking for this post. I really need the recipe to these super delicious gingersnaps. They look too good for words. Plus it's Christmas and the time for giving. So PLEASE GIVE ME the recipe! =)
P.S. See your blog does affect people and it is important! Case in point: I remembered a post you did a year ago about the most amazing gingersnaps ever.
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