The Snitch of a Snatch

There is to be a cookie reception at church this weekend just before an event I've been so looking forward to all season. I'm helping with the cookies and the kids and I have been in high production as a result. Yesterday we completed two large batches of gingersnaps and tucked them away until the event.

Yesterday evening after completing a batch of reindeer cookies Meg asked, "Mom, did you get all those reindeer boxed up? You know when Dad comes home he'll be all in them."

I assured her that I had and off to bed we went. This morning I woke up after Cole and his dad had been up for some time. My man left for work and just as we were getting ready to begin our school day Cole says,

"Hey Mom, Dad ate two of your ginger snaps this morning and he told me not to tell you."

"Then...why are you telling me?"

With a grin..."because he didn't let ME have a cookie too."

Later when I told my Man he'd been snitched on he said,

"Cole! I thought we were buds!"

"Dad, buds share their stolen cookies with each other."

Because sharing seems to keep buds out of trouble I'm sharing my recipe for gingersnaps which comes from the classic "Joy of Cooking" cookbook by Irma S. Rombauer.

What you'll need:

Dry Ingredients:
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
12 Tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Grease cookie sheets unless you are using a baking stone or parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter and the sugar and beat until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, molasses, lemon juice and zest and mix until well combined. Add the flour mixture into the molasses mixture (WITH THE MIXER ON LOW SPEED) and beat until smooth. Pull off pieces of dough and roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake cookies until they are showing just a hint of brown and just barely firm in the center which should be at approximately 10-13 minutes. If you desire crisper, snappier cookies err more toward the 13 minute mark. Remove the cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack and hide them well! If you want to serve them  in a very unique fashion, serve them with a cheddar cheese ball in the center of the platter. Yes really! Gingersnaps + sharp cheddar = DELISH!!