The Big Christmas Bake
Dec. 14th, 2009 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ppfufI'm finally done with the baking phase of the Christmas cookie insanity. Tonight I will finishing packing them up, and tomorrow I go to the post office to ship.
My incipient OCD got the better of me, and towards the end I started optimizing cookie production to make sure I had no ingredients left that I wouldn't use in the next month or two. It mostly worked; I have no leftover molasses, peanut butter or oatmeal. To use up the last 1/4 cup of molasses I made a (slightly modified) recipe of crispy ginger snaps from my old red-checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Opening the oven door was the smell of Christmas. Wow! I'm going to send some to my brother.
Ginger Snaps
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Granulated sugar, for coating the dough
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment).
In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, shortening, molasses, egg, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix in flour.
Shape or scoop the dough into 1 inch balls. A tablespoon cookie scoop can be used to portion the dough. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Use a fork to press a crisscross pattern into the top of each, or flatten with a glass.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until they're set. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
My incipient OCD got the better of me, and towards the end I started optimizing cookie production to make sure I had no ingredients left that I wouldn't use in the next month or two. It mostly worked; I have no leftover molasses, peanut butter or oatmeal. To use up the last 1/4 cup of molasses I made a (slightly modified) recipe of crispy ginger snaps from my old red-checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Opening the oven door was the smell of Christmas. Wow! I'm going to send some to my brother.
Ginger Snaps
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Granulated sugar, for coating the dough
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment).
In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, shortening, molasses, egg, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix in flour.
Shape or scoop the dough into 1 inch balls. A tablespoon cookie scoop can be used to portion the dough. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Use a fork to press a crisscross pattern into the top of each, or flatten with a glass.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until they're set. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
