Grandma’s Gingersnaps and Buttermilk Spam Can Cookies
I often get asked what my favorite thing to make is. If I had to choose one thing, it would be Christmas cookies. Christmas cookies are something you make only once a year, so that adds to their intrigue, but there are also memories behind the recipes that hold significance. My favorite Christmas cookies are the old-fashioned kind that you can envision a grandma making.
Today, I am sharing two “grandma- style” cookie recipes that are worthy contenders for any holiday cookie tray.
The gingersnap recipe came from my friend Carol, who sends me lots of great recipes. These cookies came from her German grandmother, and are meant to be dunked in a cup of hot coffee. The batch can easily be doubled, as Carol’s family preferred to do.
The soft, cake-like buttermilk cookies came from my paternal grandmother, and she always cut them with a large, round cutter. She liked to sprinkle the centers with a pinch of red or green sugar. My aunt started the tradition of cutting them with a Spam can, as my uncle wanted to be able to dunk them in a glass of milk. This
dough can also be used for datefilled cookies.
Buttermilk Spam Can Cookies
Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture in three increments, alternating with the buttermilk. The dough will be soft. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dust a countertop with flour. Divide the dough into fourths. Working with one-fourth at a time, roll out the dough, dusting with additional flour as necessary until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Using a spam can, cut out the cookies and place them onto parchment-lined pans, re-rolling the scraps. Sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are puffed up and lightly browned on the bottoms. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: 36 cookies.
Grandma’s
Gingersnaps
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup shortening, at room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Grandma’s brand molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several large baking trays with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add the egg, mixing well. Beat in the molasses until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until combined. Roll the cookies into marble-sized balls (about 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls). Place with 2-inch spacing on the prepared pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies puff up and crackle. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving to wire racks.
Yield: 52 cookies.
