I don't understand how some people can change a recipe drastically and then only give the recipe 2 stars. If you're substituting "healthier" ingredients or cutting back on ingredients the turn-out will be a whole different recipe. In essence, you are then giving a low rating your new, much worse recipe than the original recipe. I followed this recipe to a "T" and the cookies turned out excellent. I even had people who claimed to never before like ginger snaps rave over these. Well done! Thanks for the great recipe. I wouldn't change a thing!
((UPDATE: I continue to make these fabulous cookies. I've discovered that the fewer cookies on the cookie sheet the better, as they will spread out a little more and crackle even better! Also, I recommend dipping only the tops in sugar - this way, they don't stick to the cookie sheet.)) Absolutely the best cookies I have ever made! I was so excited to see that they had actually crackled and they looked so pretty and tasted amazing! The recipe has oil in it so the dough may look a little different than you're used to, but I think this is what makes these cookies so wonderful. I doubled the cinnamon and ginger, and *very* lightly greased my cookie sheets (or you can use parchment paper, because they will stick otherwise). I baked them for 7 minutes at 350 F., and they were perfect - soft, crackled, and totally yummy!
I doubled the spices and the taste wasn't too bad. My personal opinion is that it was a tad too sweet and should go better with 1.5 times of spices. Here are the problems I encountered: The dough was too soft; I had to put it in the fridge and flour my hands when rolling the dough. The dough expands quite abit upon baking, so you will only need to roll till about the size of a walnut or smaller. The recipe's "bake till firm in center" is not really accurate as the cookies harden upon cooling. I followed the advice and got big ginger crackers. So you may want to cool the cookies after time's up to check their texture.
Oh WOW! These cookies are beyond wonderful! They smell incredible! And they are so easy to make! I had set aside 3 hours to bake this afternoon... I baked the entire batch in under 45 minutes! Another bonus: they make your house smell delicious! TIPS: Double the spices! After you make the dough, refrigerate it for about 5 - 10 mins so it's less sticky when you roll it. Make sure to leave 2 - 3 inches between cookies, these really do spread out! These cookies are lovely to look at it, great to smell, but the best part is eating them!
Great old fashioned ginger snap!
Some hints:
* Pour the 3/4 cup of oil into a measuring cup, then add the molasses to the 1 cup line, That way, when you pour it out, none of the molasses will stick to the measuring cup.
* Sift the dry ingredients together to mix the spices in well.
* Only sugar the top half of the cookies so they don't stick on the pan. Yellow decorator sugar looks prettier than granular sugar.
* Don't over bake. My slightly smaller (3 1/2/ doz yield) cookies took 10 minutes.
* I didn't have cloves and substituted allspice. They were just as good.
I read all the reviews and did as recommended... doubled the spices and these cookies came out great. I also only used sugar on the tops of the cookie balls but not regular granulated sugar. Instead I used the large crystal decorator sugar that you can get in cooking stores. This made the cookies just sparkle. A couple reviewers mentioned having trouble "rolling out" these cookies. These are to be rolled into marbles not rolled with a pin! Otherwise... fantastic recipe... a keeper! (Made 36 as noted in the recipe.)
Doubled the cinnamon cloves and ginger rolled them small so they came out 2 inches round when done and cooked them for 8 1/2 to 9 minutes so that I had ginger "chewies" instead of ginger snaps (my preference). You gotta take them out of the oven before you think they are done because they keep on cooking on the cookie sheet while you are taking them off one by one to put on the cooking rack. I made three batches in 2 weeks (co-workers think I'm the bomb!)
I made this recipe because I didn't have any butter in the house. They are okay but not nearly as good as recipes that call for butter. So if you want to avoid butter this recipe is fine. Otherwise there are many better ginger snap recipes.
I would like to give this recipe 5 stars. It was great I did change a few things as suggested like doubling cinnamon cloves and ginger and added about 1/4 to 2/3 cup more flour. Greased my pan and lowered the temp to 300. They turned out great. This is a keeper will be making for the holidays.
