Ginger Snaps from “Breakfast and Beyond”

February 15, 2012  •  Desserts,

I was recently contacted to review a cookbook, Breakfast and Beyond – Comfort Food From Dawn to Dark, by April Moon. I don’t usually say yes to these requests, but perhaps having just worked on my own cookbook, I felt a connection to the author. Perhaps I’m hoping people out there will be so kind as to review my book when it comes out. So I said yes, and I am really happy that I did.Breakfast and Beyond is just what the title advertises: a collection of recipes to take you from breakfast through dessert. As I leafed through the book I was immediately struck by how perfect a book this would be for a new college graduate or newlyweds. The book boasts a wide selection of dishes, categorized by eggs, sweet starts, specialties of the house (April has a restaurant called the Sunny Point Cafe), savory sides, soups, baked delicacies (both breads and sweets), stocks, sauces, and sweet accompaniments. Frankly, you could cook just from this book for a year and not be bored.I’m not sure why I chose the Ginger Snaps to test from the book (perhaps a little inspiration from my sailing trip and the spices of Grenada?), but I’m glad I did. You need to refrigerate the dough before rolling it into balls and rolling them into sugar – otherwise they’ll spread too much.I know you know the drill by now – use a silpat liner and you’ll have no sticking and no waste from foil or parchment paper. Your pans will last longer too.After just 8 minutes you’ll have these gorgeous cookies to eat – cracked on the surface, crispy on edges, and tender in the middle, just like the cookbook promises. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed. And you can get April’s book here. I think you’ll really like it.

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Ginger Snaps
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Adapted from April Moon's cookbook, Breakfast and Beyond
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 30
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored)
  • ¼ cup light molasses (I used dark and it worked great)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2-4 teaspoons water, as needed (not in April's recipe, but in our dry Colorado climate my cookie dough needed a tiny bit more moisture to hold together)
  • ½ cup sugar for rolling cookies before baking
Instructions
  1. Cream together sugar and shortening in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add molasses and egg, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
  2. Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, and add to sugar mixture. Mix until combined, adding a tiny bit of water if your dough doesn't hold together. Chill dough for 2-3 hours.
  3. Roll dough into 1.5 - 2 inch balls and roll them in sugar before placing on a silicone mat lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

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