Aunt Martha's Ginger Snaps

An old-fashioned ginger snap recipe that produces thin, crispy cookies with a serious ginger bite and dark molasses flavor. No eggs in this dough, which is part of why they bake up so crunchy rather than chewy.

The combination of a full cup of molasses and a tablespoon of ground ginger gives these cookies their signature snap. Molasses caramelizes as it bakes, creating those deep, crackly edges and dark amber color. The baking soda reacts with the molasses acid and puffs the cookies slightly during baking before they flatten and crisp as they cool.

Flattening the dough balls with the back of a spoon before baking is key to the thin, snappy texture. Skip this step and you’ll get puffy ginger cookies instead of snaps. Press them down firmly for the crispiest result.

Kitchen Tips

• Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls, no bigger. Larger cookies won’t crisp properly in the center.
• Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring. They’re fragile when warm and firm up as they cool.
• Sift the dry ingredients together. Ginger clumps easily and you’ll get hot spots of spice if it’s not evenly distributed.
• Store in an airtight container to keep them crisp. Any moisture and they go soft within a day.

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of cloves for a more complex spice profile.
• Roll the dough balls in sugar before flattening for a sparkly, crunchy coating.
• Sandwich two cookies together with lemon buttercream for a dressed-up holiday treat.