Grandma's Gingersnaps

Talking in the kitchen with Kalem’s family last night, we realized it has been exactly a year since we first met in Havasupai. Kalem’s dad joked that Kalem took one bite of one of Greta’s ginger cookies then and was convinced he had to marry her. In honor of the cookies she brought with us on the trip, we thought we’d share the recipe with all of you, adding Greta’s twist, sandwiching two of them together with a filling made of dates. These are a great trail snack, as they hold up well and the shortening, while not the healthiest, keeps the cookies soft and fresh for a while.

Grandma Ella D’s Gingersnaps

1 & ½ cups shortening

2 cups of sugar

2 eggs

½ cup of molasses

4 & 1/3 cups of flour

4 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

2 cups chopped and pitted dates

½ cup of sugar

¾ cup of water

Mix together shortening, sugar, eggs, and molasses until smooth. Mix in four, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until incorporated. Form dough into small balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes on Silpat lined cookie sheet or a lightly greased cookie sheet. After removing from oven, leave on cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small saucepan, combine the dates, sugar, and water. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool to room temperature and spread on one side of a cookie, sandwiching it with another.

Note- this baking time and temperature work at high altitude (~4500 feet) and may need to reduce baking time at a lower altitude.