Grandma's Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies

I love baking batches of Grandma's Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies recipe. Her recipe makes spicy and crunchy gingersnap cookies!

My Grandma Rood had a sweet tooth, as evident in our family cookbooks.

Generally speaking, the main course section was about ten pages long and the other 80 pages of the book contains cakes, cookies and desserts.

Oh, and to be fair, I suppose there is a salad section. "Salads" back in the day often consisted of jello mixes and whipped topping. Clearly I was born a decade or two too late.

There's not a single recipe for baked kale chips in this family heirloom!

But oh, the treasure of baked goods her recipes are! I'm so glad to share her old fashioned ginger snap cookies recipe with you.

What are ginger snaps?

Ginger snaps are made with ground ginger and other spices such as clove, cinnamon and molasses. I'm sure the number and variety of gingersnap cookies recipes been passed down from generation to generation number more than the stars in the sky!

For me, this recipe is full of cozy aromas and makes me recall memories of Grandma baking in her kitchen with cabinets that touched the ten foot ceilings in her farm house.

She always seemed to have these cookies in her legendary cookie jar, as other grandkids can attest!

Ingredients in Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies

Here's what you'll need to make homemade ginger snaps.

• shortening, aka Crisco. Because these cookies are made with shortening, it's a crunchy ginger snap recipe.
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• molasses, which is a slow pouring and deeply colored derivative of sugar cane. You'll find it in the baking aisle or by the maple syrup
• salt
• spices - ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves
• baking soda

How Do You Make Ginger Snap Cookies

This is a simple recipe to make.

In a stand mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together salt, flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda. Add to mixer and incorporate, mixing well.

The dough will be very dense. Chill the dough for at least two hours.

Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, measure and roll into small bowls. Dip each ball into sugar and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until light brown and crackled. Do not overbake, per Grandma's instructions!

CAN YOU FREEZE GINGERSNAP COOKIES?

Oh, snap! Yes you can!

I love to make cookie dough to freeze for later. Simply make the dough and before baking, roll into balls.

Freeze on a parchment or waxed paper lined cookie tray for an hour or two. Once the cookie dough freezes remove and place into a ziplock type bag, or package them for gift giving in these little containers!

It's also a great idea to freeze dough for yourself. If you want just a few cookies, or unexpected company comes by, pull a few cookies to bake. Easy peasy!

Can ginger snap cookies soothe an upset stomach?

According to my Grandma, yes! Granted, I am not a doctor or nutritionist - disclaimer unnecessary, I'm sure you know that by now - but ginger is said to soothe an upset stomach.

Other cookies you'll love:

• No Roll Sugar Cookies
• Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
• Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookies
• German Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Another old fashioned dessert to try out: Baked Rice Pudding

Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies

Deanne Frieders

I love baking batches of Grandma’s Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies recipe. Her recipe makes spicy and crunchy gingersnap cookies!

4.50 from 44 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Cookie Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 48 cookies

Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1.5 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4.5 cups flour sifted
• 2 teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

 

• In a stand mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl.
• In a medium sized bowl, sift together salt, flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda. Add to mixer and incorporate, mixing well.
• Chill the dough for at least two hours.
• Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, measure and roll into small bowls. Dip each ball into sugar and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until light brown and crackled. Do not overbake, per Grandma's instructions!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gramsCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 144mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11g

This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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