Gingersnaps

These are my favorite cookie... Caleb's too!

From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979

Oven Temp: 375°

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt

granulated sugar

When measuring spices for this recipe I use generous measurements for a spicier cookie.

Cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Add spices, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and blend well. Chill dough 1 hour. Roll about 1-2 teaspoons dough in a ball and roll in granulated sugar or gourmet sugar (large sugar crystals.) and place on ungreased baking tray or parchment lined trays. Bake at 375° for8-10 minutes. Remove from trays immediately and cool on wire racks.

Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas morning always means cinnamon rolls at our house. I once suggested that we don't have them and choose another sweet treat for Christmas and you might have thought I suggested that the world stop spinning. So every year I make cinnamon buns and they are a rich, buttery, cinnamon-y treat just right for the late morning breakfast we enjoy as parents of adult children... they were just right when the kids were small too!

When my kids were little I was often up late baking and making a terrible mess in the kitchen on Christmas eve so we could have fresh-from the oven cinnamon buns. Now I make them in advance and freeze them so I can enjoy the morning more. I am glad Kelly is carrying on the tradition at her house now and thank her for sharing her picture. I am posting this here so we can both remember how many cinnamon buns this recipe is supposed to make. I can never remember!

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”

Makes 48 cinnamon rolls.

Oven Temp: 350°

• 2 cups warm water
• 1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• up to 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 cup wheat germ (optional)
  
• 6-7 cups flour
• additional butter, sugar and cinnamon for inside the rolls.
  

Topping for one 13x9 pan

Recipe makes 4 13x9 pans

• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• about ½-3/4 cup brown sugar
• about ¼ cup light Karo syrup.

Place brown sugar evenly in 13x9 pan. Drizzle with melted butter and Karo Syrup.

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Divide dough into fourths. Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle. Spread about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with sugar (I use a handfulor two. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add raisins if desired. Roll from long side. Slice rolled dough into twelve 1 inch sections. Place in prepared pans. Let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Rolls will be golden brown and you will se the brown sugar bubbling around the edges.

Immediately turn rolls out onto a foil or parchment lined tray. Wait a minute or two before removing the the pan from the rolls so all the sugary goodness can melt down onto them.

Snickerdoodles and Variations

The dough for Snickerdoodles (really WHO thought of that name?!) is very versatile. Here is the recipe and three variations. The final one, is made with a specialty flavoring called Fiori Di Sicilia which is available from It tastes like a Creamsicle cookie! I was very pleased with the experiment!

Snickerdoodles and Variations
Recipe from Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979
Oven Temp: 375°
5 doz. Cookies.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 ¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ c sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda and cream tartar.Beat well. Blend in flour until well mixed.

For traditional snickerdoodles
Mix ¼ cup of sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
Roll 1 inch balls of dough into mixture and place on cookie sheet about 2” apart.

Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

For sugar cookies add

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract along with vanilla.

Roll dough in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar and bake 9-11 minutes.


For Citrus sugar cookies add:

• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon lime zest

Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.


For Fiori Di Sicilia Cookies, replace vanilla with ½ teaspoon Fiori Di Sicicilia flavoring (available from King Arthur Flour Co. )
Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.