Recipe: Ginger Cookies

Let me start by saying…I listened to some great podcasts today: all most of which had the same theme…perfection is the enemy of getting shit done!

Which has been my problem for a couple of days now.
I tried to video me doing this recipe so I could edit and put on “The YouTubes” — as the old people call it—and I really like to say it. I also like, The Google or The Interwebs-my hubby and I say that one ALL the time.
Focus Maria!

Anyway, I am going to stop fussing with this post and just put it out there.
I’m not perfect.
You’re not perfect.
Lets be friends! Or at least friendly.

Let me start by saying this: I wish I knew why I chose to make these cookies.
I suppose I looked at the ingredient list and though…I have all those things—including (and especially) the molasses which I don’t remember WHY I ever purchased.
So this recipe seemed like a perfect fit for my Aunt Ellen’s project.

Mmmm…I must not have realized how much I don’t really care for ginger cookies-I mean…occasionally a ginger snap is nice. Maybe as a crust for a cheesecake.
That would have been a good thing: make these cookies and turn it into the crust of a Cheesecake. Instead I pawed off over half to the neighbor who likes ginger AND has 2 teenage boys who will ear almost anything. Win Win!

The Recipe

The recipe is SUPER easy.
Seven simple ingredients—if you don’t consider water an ingredient then six simple ingredients: Shortening (which I have for seasoning my cast iron skillet); hot water; soda this is how it is published in the recipe, I assumed this meant Baking soda; flour; brown sugar recipe doesn’t specify light vs dark, I used dark; molasses, and ginger the recipe does not specify fresh or dried, but I assumed dried. Combine in a bowl and roll out flat to cut into desired shapes (yea…I didn’t do that) bake on an ungreased pan at 375º for 10 minutes.
Easy right?
Yes!
And it makes like 4 dozen cookies! Something else not listed in the recipe.

Ginger Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup hot water
3 tsp baking soda
4.5 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dark molasses
1/2 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 375º
Combine all ingredients.
Roll out on floured surface and cut in desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased sheet for about 10 minutes. Increase time to make them a little crisper. Yields approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Easy to print recipe.

I had a problem with the molasses. What kind of problem?
THE SMELL!
I think it smells like stinky feet and who wants to eat stinky feet? Which was ALL I could smell.
Ick!
And although these are called Ginger cookies-there is only like 1/2 a tsp of ginger in them.
Now, my neighbor did come over while I was baking and said she could smell the ginger—I had also baked (at least) a dozen cookies by then and she got a warm one. She tasted the ginger and she liked them—hence her getting so many of them. My parents also got about a dozen and I took some to a dinner I had with my in-laws this weekend. About half a dozen still remain in my house at this time.

I’m really selling these cookies to you aren’t I?

Anyway…

My modifications: Aside from not rolling them out and cutting them ‘into shapes’ just rolled them into balls and baked them. They turned out perfectly fine. I also rolled some of them in sugar as well.

Final thoughts: These cookies are not for me. If I’m going to eat a cookie, I want them to be sweek…like I’m eating a cookie. Therefore, I probably would never make them again. Mostly because of the flavor profile. However, if I could modify them to be peanut butter cookes…mm mm mmmmmmm

How about you? Are these the kind of cookies you like?