Recipes are much more than a blueprint for preparing food. Recipes can be our connection to the past…and to the people we love. And that was so true yesterday when I stumbled upon my mom’s Ginger Crisps cookie recipe.
I was feeling very nostalgic and a little sad in our much-too-quiet house after our amazing, fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend spent with all of our grandkids and their parents. Those family memories are priceless to me…especially at my age.
I began to think of my wonderful childhood. And, as usual, my thoughts turned to my mom.
So I reached for the recipe box I had inherited from her almost forty years ago…
and I stumbled upon this ancient Ginger Crisps recipe card I had never seen before. It was handwritten, in pencil, by Mom! It was truly a warm holiday hug…direct from Heaven!
The thought of filling my kitchen with the sweet holiday scents of ginger and cloves and molasses sent me straight to my mixing bowls.
Meemaw’s Tip: When measuring anything sticky like molasses or honey, first spray your measuring cup with cooking spray. The sticky liquid will slide right out!
It wasn’t long before I had recreated Mom’s Ginger Crisps Cookies…with a few alterations. Since I don’t bake with lard, I substituted unsalted butter. And I left out the English walnuts this time. (I’m sure Mom didn’t mind. In fact she probably expected it, since I always was a little bit of a rebel!)
I chilled the dough, then I rolled it into small balls. Then I rolled the balls into a bowl of sugar.
I placed them either on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, or onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet for baking.
The cookies puffed up while baking…
And then suddenly collapsed!
At first I thought I had done something wrong…and then I could almost hear Mom’s voice telling me…”Patty Ann…Please re-read the title of my recipe!”
Right. They are Ginger CRISPS Cookies. So they should be flat to be crisp!
There was no baking time specified on that yellowed card, so I guessed at ten minutes. I was close. I would say 10-12 minutes, depending on how crisp you want the cookies to be. And I let them firm up on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
You can see that these cookies flatten a lot, so make sure to give them plenty of room to spread out if you want to keep them perfectly round and not smooshed together. (I learned from my mistakes.) My cookies turned out to be crispy on the outside and yet slightly chewy…a perfect combination of textures.
Yes, Dear Readers…Even though Mom has been gone almost forty years, she was with me yesterday in my cozy kitchen.
And I hope some day, forty years from now, our precious grandkids will feel a warm and loving hug from ME if they recreate these Ginger Crisps for themselves.
A warm and loving hug…From a recipe box filled with memories.
- 2 C. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2/3 c. lard (I used unsalted butter)
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c. molasses
- 1/2 c. finely chopped English walnuts (I omitted them this time)
- extra sugar for rolling
- Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl mix well.
- Add egg and mix.
- Add the molasses and combine.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
- Whisk dry ingredients together to combine.
- Stir walnuts into flour mixture if desired.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
- REFRIGERATE DOUGH for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Use a teaspoon to scoop up dough and roll into small balls.
- Drop dough balls into a bowl of sugar to coat.
- Place on greased cookie sheet (or use a non-stick Silpat sheet on your cookie sheet)
- BAKE at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes
- Remove from oven and allow to remain on cookie sheet for several minutes to firm up.
- Finish cooling on wire racks.
- You decide how crispy or chewy you want to make these delicious cookies! Bake less for chewy and more for crispy. Either way, your kitchen will smell like the holidays...and your family will love you!
Great recipe…wish I liked ginger!! maybe I could do it without it??
Sorry Linda…Making a ginger cookie without ginger kind of defeats the purpose! (I’ll make a batch this winter and give you a taste…I bet you’d like them since all the other spices work so well together.)
How many cookies does this recipe make?
So sorry for the long delay in answering your question Jane…but it’s hard to say how many cookies this recipe will make since everyone chooses the cookie size they like best! I’m thinking I usually get about 3 dozen cookies based on the size I like. Regardless of the cookie size I hope you like them as much as I do!
Happy New Year and Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw
There is Ginger in this recipe!
Yes there is Claire! I hope you liked the cookies…
XOXO
Meemaw
What a fun memory! Isn’t it amazing what cookies can do for us. Have fun in the kitchen this holiday season.
Thanks Sara…And I hope you make some memories at YOUR house too. The holidays are meant for sharing…in so many ways!
They look so yummy! Nice that you discovered the recipe. Ginger cookies are one of my favorites❣ ? Will definitely be trying this recipe.
Dorothy
Thanks Dorothy…I think you’ll LOVE them! 🙂 And let me know what you think…
They sound perfect. I bet they would be great with a dish vanilla ice cream.
Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks Maria…Ice cream sounds like a good match. Let me know how you like them!
I have that same recipe box !! I hope someday one of my children or grandchildren will want it.
It also has many of my old recipes and some from my mom and grandmom.
I hope so too Dorothy! Be sure to tell your kids and grandkids how special that box is to you…and share some memories about some of the recipes inside. (Who made the dish…When you ate the food…Who was around the family table when you shared the meal.) That way your family will pass those stories and recipes on to future generations. (And we all know how food a be a bridge from one generation to the next!) Thanks again for sharing! 🙂
Those cookies look so good. Must have been fun making them and thinking of your mom and all the wonderful times you had together.
Thanks Helen! It felt like Mom was right there next to me in my kitchen! I’m always amazed at how recipes and food can trigger memories of the past. In fact…today I had an experience that was almost FIFTY YEARS in the making! I was able to go back to a place where many of my most wonderful childhood memories were created! It will take some time to write the resulting story…but stay tuned. It truly was a hug from Heaven…but this time it was from my Grandma Grady!(She was born in 1869!) Aren’t memories wonderful? (And thanks again for your comment Helen!)
Your mom’s handwriting looks so much like my mom’s! As we are in the same generation, I bet our moms were too. They really taught beautiful handwriting back then. I have a few recipe cards in my mom’s handwriting, and my mother-in-law’s too. They are treasures for sure. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Thanks so much for your comment Anne! Sounds like we were BOTH blessed with wonderful mothers. It was a wonderful time to be a child…way back then! And DO make those cookies. I hope you’ll like them as much as we do.
XOXO
Meemaw
Wondering if I could use a keto blend flour and an alternate sugar like monk fruit or coconut. I also have dried ginger I bought at a bazaar in Greece, delicious I wonder how that would be in or topped on the bun cookies. Also when I cook my mom’s recipes I feel she’s standing next to me stiring the pot. She’s happy and loving , my whole house smells wonderfully like moms here. Cooking I’m blessed
I totally agree with you Virginia! Food memories are so very precious! Happy Cooking!
God Bless!
XOXO
Meemaw
What a sweet story. I am excited to try your recipe. Sounds delicious. My daughter was given her paternal grandmother’s recipe box. It had a note taped on the bottom that her mother had given her the box as a shower gift. So my daughter has this cute recipe box, and recipes from the 1940s. It is a treasure. Bless you and yours.
Thank you so much Joy…Your comment warmed my heart! I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to tell you that!
Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw
***** Oh my goodness these are amazing! I doubled the ginger and also added some chopped candied ginger and the taste was spot on. I also cooked them an additional 8 minutes (20 minutes today) and they were crispy just how I like them. They dunk into coffee and do not fall apart. They are the best cookies I have EVER made and I am 68 years old. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. Yum! Yum! Yum!
Oh Maudie…I’m SO GLAD you loved them, and Im so sorry it has taken me so long to thank you for your comment! Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw
The cookies are to die for and I’ve made them for my daughter-in-law for Mother’s Day.
They didn’t spread very much so I’d like to know what makes them spread. Is cooling the dough in the fridge? I did that though.
These look delicious! I can’t wait to make them! Your mother had beautiful handwriting by the way! That recipe card is a gem! Thank you for sharing.
Oh Julie, I so appreciate your comment! It’s my pleasure to share our family recipes with all of you, and I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to reply! Wishing you all the best…
XOXO
Meemaw
Is there anyway to make these gluten free? Anyone tried gf flour in this recipe? Thank you.
I’m sorry Lisa…I haven’t any experience with gluten free baking. I wish you well, and I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to reply to you! Wishing you well!!
XOXO
Meemaw
I made these for the 4th of July to go with homemade peach ice cream. They were a real hit!
Aww…Thank you for letting me know Victoria!! Happy Baking!!
XOXO
Meemaw
Thank you Victoria!
XOXO
Meemaw
What can l use instead of molasses
Hello Naz! I’m so sorry for the long delay to reply…but I have never substituted anything for molasses. But, according to Google, you could try brown sugar or several other variations. You might explore online for alternatives. Good luck, and let me know how it goes if you do!
XOXO
Meemaw
Since the cookies are rolled in sugar, can the amt in the dough be lessened?
So sorry for my late reply Susan! You can experiment with using less sugar, but I never have tried that. I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
XOXO
Meemaw
Thanks for stopping by! I love sharing my family recipes with all of you…and I hope you make a batch of these cookies. Your house will smell like Christmas! (And that’s a GOOD thing!) 🙂
My husband found this recipe & I made them for him today. I am not a ginger cookie lover but this one is wonderful.
The only change I would make is I would make the balls a little bit bigger. This recipe yielded us 45 cookies & did not spread out as much as your photo showed.
He is so happy that he finally found the cookie of his “DREAMS.”
I noticed your pie dough recipe, that one is next.
Thank you & many Blessings!
Awww…Thank you SO MUCH for your kind words Dolores! Sometimes the good old-fashioned recipes are the best! I’m glad your husband enjoyed them!
Happy Baking!
XOXO
Meemaw