Tastes Like Beauty...Rolled In Sugar

That's how Aaron described the flavor of the dough for the gingersnaps I was making. After a long Saturday morning playing in the snow, he and Cameron were helping me in the kitchen. I had mixed up the dough while they played, let it chill, and now Cameron was rolling it into small balls and Aaron was rolling those in sugar. Even the dough smelled so enticingly delicious, they couldn't wait for the first pan to come out of the oven. Aaron bit into the side of a ball.

"Mom...It tastes like...like beauty...rolled in sugar."

I think that's about the highest compliment you can give a cookie.

As a matter of fact, these cookies do taste amazing, both in dough and baked form. Something about that sweet cinnamon and the spicy, fragrant ginger, blended in a simple buttery dough - I think Aaron has described them perfectly.

They taste like beauty.



I only make these gingersnaps once or twice a year, always in the Fall or Winter, when the weather tells me to stay indoors and make comfort food for my family. These cookies just wouldn't do in the summer months, when frozen lemonade pies and all things strawberry should be eaten.


I doubt that very many people would name the gingersnap as their favorite cookie. Chocolate chip, peanut butter, or even a good oatmeal raisin would probably be their first choice. It is for me, at least until the weather turns cold. Then, there's just something about this delightful little cookie that warms my home and my mouth. I think they are delicious and utterly addictive. So proceed with caution.

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Gingersnaps...aka "Taste of Beauty In Your Mouth"

3/4 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light molasses

4 cups flour

4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter, eggs, sugar and molasses. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then mix into the butter/eggs/sugars. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into small balls - about the size of a small walnut - and roll in granulated sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.

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See those cracks? That's where the chewy meets the crispy, crackly. You know, if you like that sort of thing. Just so happens, I do.

But if chewy all the way through is the way to win your heart, let them spend the night in a Tupperware. Turns out, I like them this way too.

Don't forget the milk.

Assuming you've never tasted these on a cold, wintery day...what kind of cookie do you enjoy?