I could not have posed a better photo if I'd tried. I was trying to take a picture of my own fingers holding the last remaining ginger snap, in a "I'm holding on to a faded memory" sort of way...and just as the shutter snapped, my almost-two-year-old reached up to snatch the cookie away from me. (Yes, this is the same one who likes to steal pie crust.) But it's poetic, really, that my overly-sentimental thought about history being "lost in the cobwebs so easily dusted away", would be overtaken by my little one physically grabbing my metaphor. Ok, little one, I pass the baton. You may have this little bite of family history. I'll hold my sentimental proclamations about the passing of time, getting older, loved ones gone, the last cookie, etc. etc. For now we will just eat a really good ginger cookie together, appreciating your great-grandmother who let me make them with her one summer, despite being out of season, just because it was my favorite, when I was not much bigger than you.
Grandma Avalon's Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbs) of butter
1/4 C. blackstrap molasses
1 C. Sugar
1 large farm-fresh egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Extra sugar for rolling
Method:
Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Add the dry ingredients and combine well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. With a scoop or spoon, portion the dough and form into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on baking sheet, making sure to leave space between them, as they flatten out.
Bake at 350 degrees until firm (about 15-20 minutes for crunchy cookies, less time for softer cookies.) Carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.
