Dunk These Cookies

I was talking to my mom yesterday, who remarked that she had just finished making a batch of cookies.

Do you remember when people had cookie jars? And actually put home-baked cookies into them? I remember Mom's. As a kid, I never considered that simple lidded ceramic jar anyone else's but Mom's. She filled it, and she metered out it's contents. Mom rarely denied anyone access to the cookie jar, but we all had sense enough to realize that if you were stupid enough to stick your hand in there without asking, then you didn't deserve a cookie.

After our conversation, I was feeling nostalgic - for the days of Mom's cookie jar, but also for the times when a filled cookie jar was always on my kitchen counter and my kids too had enough sense to ask for a cookie instead of pilfering one.

Man. I miss those days. It is so strange to find myself without a cookie jar and kids running in and out of the house constantly. Guess I'm still struggling with the whole empty nest syndrome as well as Sjogren's syndrome.

Nostalgia coupled with a sweet tooth swept me into my kitchen within minutes. Soon I was thumbing through my recipe box for Mom's cookie recipes - the gold standard against which all cookies are measured. I couldn't choose just one, so ended up making three: peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and Grandma Ella's ginger snap cookies.

I had volunteered to bring a dessert to an upcoming party, so I figured I'd be able to bake to my heart's content and then give them all away.

OK. Not all of them. I'll admit that I had to sample several. Quality control, don'tcha know.

There's oodles of great peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but not as many really good ginger snap recipes. I'll share. 

Grandma Ella's Ginger Snaps

375 degrees

10 minutes

1 C sugar

1/3 C butter

1/3 C shortening

1 egg

1/4 C dark blackstrap molasses

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp real vanilla

2 C flour

Mix sugar, butter and shortening until creamy. Beat in egg. With mixer on low, add molasses, then ginger, cloves, cinnamon, salt, soda, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add flour and mix on low just until all flour is incorporated into a fairly stiff dough. 

To shape cookies, scoop out dough the size of a walnut. Roll into a ball and dip into granulated sugar. Place ball of dough on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. 

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately ten minutes. 

Brew a large pot of coffee. Once cooled, these are the ultimate coffee-dunking cookies.