This is a recipe that’s long been in my wife’s family; the cookies are called “ginger drops.” Be warned: they’re addictive.
3/4 cup margerine
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup light molasses
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 tbsp. ginger
Beat margerine, shortening, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add molasses. Add flour sifted with baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about seven dozen cookies.
The recipe sounds good and kinda easy. I love me some ginger snaps. I’m thinking butter instead of margarine though, just cause I like the real buttah.
One of my favorite bits of trivia goes round Ginger Snaps - apparently they were developed as a ginger storage method centuries ago - need a teaspoon of ginger? crush a cookie into the recipe!
(Don’t know if this is true - the source is the ‘disgraced’ (and late) Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith.)
I’m having a hard time believing this - ginger lasts for years, just sitting in a bottle on the shelf. Ginger snaps last a good while without refrigeration, but it’s hard to see the cookies lasting longer than the spice would under primitive conditions.