Ginger Snaps is the modern word for these cookies. I used to eat them in my Grandmother’s kitchen. She called them Zuzus. They were crunchy, spicy and made your mouth feel all tingly inside. Besides being a wonderful snack, these cookies are also an integral part of the sauce for Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage. Grandma Jeanie did have a kosher home; but I imagine she didn’t read the ingredients on the box as carefully as we do today. When I was first married, 53 years ago, I couldn’t find non-dairy Ginger Snaps; so I worked on developing a non-dairy version of a slew of ginger snap cookies I liked. The result is the one I give you here.
These cookies can serve many purposes. They are delicious as is. You can even sprinkle some Demarara or Turbinado sugar on top to make them sweeter. Not in the mood for cookies, crush them up for my Stuffed Cabbage or even for a Gingersnap Crust.
Prep time: to prepare dough-10 minutes to chill: 60 minutes to form cookies-20 minutes
Ginger Snaps
By September 4, 2014
Published:Yield:
- 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons Non-dairy Margarine softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 inch Fresh Ginger root peeled and minced
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- waxed paper
- 2 large cookie sheets lined with baking parchment
- 2 cooling racks
Directions
- Cream margarine and sugar in bowl of mixer. Beat in egg and molasses. Add remaining ingredients to mixer bowl and beat on low speed. Scrape dough onto a large piece of waxed paper. Wrap well and chill for one hour.
- Preheat oven to: 375° F.
- Remove dough from fridge. Pinch off pieces of dough large enough to form one inch balls. Flatten balls gently with your hands and place then three inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes on the center racks of your oven- or until cookies have browned on the bottom. The shorter time will give you a softer cookie than the longer time. Either way they're delicious and work in the Stuffed Cabbage recipe. Cool on racks before serving or pulverizing for Stuffed Cabbage gravy or pie crust. These cookies may be made in advance and frozen.