Snappy, spicy, and just the right amount of gingery goodness makes these thin cookies an absolute delight. Honing your skills to roll these out super thin will become easier as you make them more often, and we are sure they will become a much-requested holiday cookie. You can roll out the dough only twice before it tends to get dry and crack. If you need a third roll, try massaging ¼ to ½ teaspoon of shortening into the dough to help bring it back together into a rolling consistency. Conversely, the dough can be sticky to roll out at first, so do not be tempted to add more flour; you want to roll these out with as little flour as possible. Any shape will do for these cookies but avoid complex cookie cutters with lots of small angles, as the thin dough works best with relatively smooth edges. We love stars best but often do a classic scalloped circle shape too. – Nickey Miller, co-owner of the former Cake & Loaf Bakery

Ginger Snaps

These gingersnaps are crisp and flavourful and perfect for cookie swap. Use a Christmas cookie cutter to make these ginger snaps into any shape you want.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 17

Course cookies

Servings 8 dozen

Ingredients

Ginger Snaps

½ cup fancy molasses
2½ tbsp granulated sugar
2½ tbsp white corn syrup or honey; not vegan
2½ tbsp water
2½ tbsp vegetable shortening
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp Speculoos Spice Mix see below
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Speculoos Spice Mix

3 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg ground or freshly grated
2 tsps ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom

Instructions

Ginger Snaps

In a medium pot, stir together the molasses, sugar, corn syrup, and water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, over high heat. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and maintain a gentle boil, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vegetable shortening until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Sift the flour, speculoos spice mix, ginger, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir together.
Once the molasses mixture has come to room temperature and is the same texture as molasses, mix it into the flour mixture until a dough has formed and no dry flour remains. Bring the dough together into a rough disc, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours before rolling it out.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough very thin, about
1/16 -inch thickness. Move the dough around and check underneath it frequently to make sure it is not sticking to the work surface, dusting lightly with more flour as needed. Using a 2½-inch-wide star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place 24 on each of the prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced.
If there is any flour on your cookies, brush it off with a dry pastry brush before baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed up and appear dry. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before removing.

Speculoos Spice Mix

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients until fully combined.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Notes

Ginger snap dough can be made at least 1 day ahead and stored, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
For the best flavour and aroma for the Speculoos Mix, use whole spices and grind them in a coffee grinder yourself. Use a fine-mesh metal sieve to sift out any large pieces. This batch size should be perfect to get you through six months of use.

Keyword Christmas cookies