Really Thin and Crispy Ginger Snaps

I love these Really Thin and Crispy Ginger Snaps. The recipe is one I cut out of The Boston Globe when we lived in that town of baked beans and Bruins for a few years in the early 90’s. I’ve adapted from the original. The Globe shared it with readers like me on the occasion of chef Michael Roberts releasing his cookbook, Make Ahead Gourmet (William Morrow, 1993).

There are a couple of reasons I love this recipe. It makes a lot. That was the whole idea behind Roberts’ book; batch cook up front and reward yourself with ease later. I cook like this A LOT. Another reason I love this recipe is because I prefer a thin crispy ginger snap over the sugary, chewy kind. These are bit more work but I think the results are worth it. Finally, when I was a teenager working part time at the local nursing home, my elderly friend Eva Kelly always shared her thin, crispy gingersnaps with me. They became an indelible taste memory for me and I could never recreate them until I happily spotted this recipe in The Globe. 

Really Thin and Crispy Ginger Snaps

 

This recipe makes a big batch of really thin and crispy ginger snaps. They are perfect for dunking in tea.

• Author: Karen Anderson
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 10 to 12 dozen
• Category: cookies
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: U.S. or Canada

Ingredients

1 lb unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup molasses (I use Crosby’s)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ cup ground ginger (yes, ¼ cup!)

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Instructions

 

1. Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stan mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the molasses, vanilla, baking soda, ginger, cloves and salt and beat again until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Add the flour and beat only until combined.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, form it into a rectangle and divide into 10 even parts.
5. Form each of the 10 parts into square logs 7-inches long and 2-inches wide.
6. Wrap each of the logs in plastic wrap and wrap 8 in tin foil too.
7. Refrigerate the plastic-wrapped logs for 1 at least 1 hour. Freeze the foil-wrapped logs for another time (when you decide to bake them, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator).
8. Cut the cooled logs into ¼ inch thick slices and roll the slices into rectangular shapes about 2-inches long and 1-inch wide. (Tip: it helps to do this on a piece of plastic wrap.
9. Transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet with about 1 inch between them.
10. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 325℉.
12. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove and let them cool on the baking sheet. They might be chewy at first but they will turn crisp once completely cooled.

Keywords: Really thin and crispy ginger snaps