Laura has an almost identical recipe for Ginger Crisps – just reduce soda to 1 teaspoon, increase salt to ½ teaspoon, increase ginger to 1 ½ teaspoons, and use ⅔ cup butter; roll in powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup Brer Rabbit “full flavor” molasses*
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅓ cup sugar

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. In mixer, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Add egg, molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to butter. Add half of flour, and blend well. Add remaining half of flour, and blend well. Cover mixer bowl tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and roll balls lightly in remaining sugar. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Don’t crowd them, as they spread during baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

If you want crispy gingersnaps, store in an airtight container. If you prefer chewy, store in a regular cookie jar.

*Yeah, we’re kind of uncomfortable about the brand name Brer Rabbit, and the fact that it’s named after a character in Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories. Seriously, they’re going to have to consider re-branding one of these days. On the other hand, this brand is our go-to for molasses; not only because Grammy always used it, but because it is unsulphured, made from sugar cane and has no preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. Also, as Jon Stewart says of Chick-Fil-A, “but it’s soooo tasty.”

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash