Ginger Snaps

I am not quite ready to put away the holiday cookie tins. The cold wind and 8 degree forecast had me starting up another batch of cookies. This time it's ginger snaps. Years ago my favorite children's book editor told me that he had heard from an in-law who had worked in a cookie factory, that ginger snaps were made from spicing up all of the leftover cookie dough scraps mixed together at the end of the day, including the bits swept up from the floor! I loved the image and have never forgotten it.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup corn oil
1/2 cup dark but not blackstrap molasses
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (less if using white flour)
1 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2.5 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup white sugar for decoration (optional)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll each ball in white sugar (optional) before placing 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets or cast iron skillets or baking stones.
Bake for 7 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on wire racks. They are delicious with hot tea.

-adapted from Mom's Gingersnaps All Recipes.com