Week 14, Favorite Recipe: Mom's Ginger Cookies

Week 14 of 2024's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is "Favorite Recipe."

My mom, Linda, came across this recipe for ginger cookies while thumbing through a magazine in our dentist's or doctor's waiting room in the 1980s. She's a rule-follower. Instead of tearing the recipe out of the magazine and shoving it in her purse like I would have done, she carefully copied it down like a good person. It instantly became her favorite cookie recipe because she loves ginger and they're super easy to make. She used to bake them every year at Christmas and the whole house filled with the smell of ginger. These cookies are a family favorite.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 2 tsp ginger

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup molasses

Directions

1. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside

2. In a separate bowl, add the shortening and gradually add in 1 cup of sugar. Beat until fluffy.

3. Add the egg and molasses and beat well.

4. Mix in dry ingredients

5. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and dip in sugar

6. Bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes. Let cookies stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Additional Details

Makes 2 dozen cookies