Snappy Gingersnaps
Dec 13, 2005 | From the kitchen of Rose
Caitlin Question:
I'm having such trouble with gingersnaps and I hope you can help! My goal is a cookie that can last longer than one day while still being "snappy" and still tender to the bite. I can't seem to find the balance between chewy and tooth-breaking!
I've tried increasing baking powder, I've fussed with bake times, stored in sealed bags, I've thrown in desiccant to see what would happen, but still am unhappy with my results.
Rose Reply:
i've never actually made gingersnaps but in my book "rose's christmas cookies" i have both gingerbread for building gingerbread houses and gingerbread for gingerbread people! the difference is that in the people one i use egg, more butter and more brown sugar, all of which makes it more tender though still crisp. if you roll them thicker--say 1/4", they will be more soft, chewy and pudgy!
also be sure to underbake them slightly as on cooling they will firm up but still remain a little soft. these cookies keep for several months but of course become less soft with time.
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Min
03/16/2009 05:55 AM
Hi Lloyd, try these:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/Gingersnaps.html
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/10/chez_panisse_gi.html
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Lloyd Knesal
03/15/2009 11:44 PM
I have been looking for a Ginger Snap cookie like I ate whenI was far ypounger than I am. It really tasted like ginger and it had a bite to it. It was also firm and fairly crisp
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Dottiepark
04/28/2008 04:32 PM
Actually, I use oil, because that's what my original recipe calls for, and they come out nice and crisp. I think if you used butter they might be a bit flatter. Also, I roll mine in demerara or raw sugar.
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Beth
04/28/2008 01:53 PM
Has anyone tried this with butter instead of vegetable shortening?
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Dottiepark
04/26/2008 11:03 PM
I have been using this recipe for years and people prefer it to any other cookie I make...but I add extra cinnamon and cloves, as well as allspice in lieu of ginger.
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Louise Allen
04/26/2008 04:30 AM
The I Hate to Cook Cookbook is for sale - used - on Amaron.com. Louise
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Louise Allen
04/26/2008 04:27 AM
The I Hate to Cook Cookbook is for sale - used - on Amaron.com. Louise
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Jean Gochros
04/25/2008 10:25 PM
Am so glad to get some of Peg Bracken's recipes, since my falling apart book got lost during a move. Also glad to know that the gingersnaps are the same as Betty Crocker's, and that my rolling the balls in sugar was a good idea.
Thanks, everyone.
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Jean Gochros
04/25/2008 10:20 PM
Am so glad to get some of Peg Bracken's recipes, since my already falling apart book got lost during a move. Also glad to know the the spice cookie is the same as Betty Crocker's. Thanks,everyone! If I can find out where to obtain a copy of the Hate to Cook book, I'll let you know.
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S.T.
10/20/2007 01:43 PM
A favorite recipe of mine. I was so pleased to get a response when I requested Peg Bracken's recipe on the Internet. Thank you. S.T.
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katie
11/08/2006 05:42 AM
The "elevator lady" recipe is almost identical to the molasses crinkles my grandmother has always made-- the ones from Betty Crocker! The only difference is that we dip each dough ball in sugar and sprinkle with water before baking. The cookies get a lovely, sparkly cracked top.
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coho
06/29/2006 04:58 PM
My Mom had the I Hate To Cook Book and I enjoyed the Elevator Lady cookies as a child. I haven't had them in years.
As a professional chef I have access to many out-of-print cookbooks but have been unable to lay my hands on that one.
Thanks, Carol
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
03/18/2006 11:12 PM
thanks for the recipe carol. i love peg bracken's books and sadly seem to remember hearing that she is no longer alive.
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Carol Goltz
03/13/2006 09:15 PM
Here's the recipe. If you feel ok about publishing it, since the book is out of print, be my guest! I'm sure Peg
Bracken would appreciate knowing that her recipe is being spread far and wide.
Elevator Lady Spice Cookies
From Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book
Mix together:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
¼ cup molasses
Then sift together and stir in:
2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp powdered cloves
¾ tsp powdered ginger
Now mix it all together, and form it into walnut-sized balls.
Put them two inches apart on a greased cooky sheet
and bake at 375 degrees for ten to twelve minutes.
Intro to recipe:
“Once, in an elevator en route to my office, I was eating some spice cookies which I had made from a recipe in my big fat cookbook.
I gave one to the Elevator Lady, and she tasted it.
‘My,’ she said reflectively, ‘I can sure make a better spice cooky than that.’ So she brought me her recipe, and she was quite right. This is a short, rich, ginger-snap sort of a cooky, and the recipe makes plenty.”
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
03/08/2006 07:15 PM
thank you--would love to have the recipe!
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Carol Goltz
03/05/2006 06:11 PM
As a newcomer to your blog, I am just now reading older questions. Re: gingersnaps, although this cookie is not "snappy," it is a wonderful ginger-y cookie that crackles on top and if correctly baked stays soft inside. It's in the very old paperback "I Hate to Cook Book" and is called Elevator Lady Spice Cookies. If you want the recipe, I could type it out and email it, as the book is no longer in print.
Carol
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Rose Levy Beranbaum
12/17/2005 04:42 PM
the recipe is only available in "rose's christmas cookies," which is still available through jessica's biscuit (check 800 directory).
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Susan Baillie
12/17/2005 07:16 AM
Can I get your recipe for gingerbread people online. A friend has asked that I send it to her,but there is too much to copy out of your book, which I have. I would like to print it out and send it to her. She is 82 years old and
a terrific cook!
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