No.1 Ginger Snaps

Ginger was one of the most popular flavors for baked goods in the 19-century. Recipes for gingerbread and ginger cookies abound.  This recipe for "No. 1 Ginger Snaps" is a lovely example.

The Recipe

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This recipe comes from The Practical Cookbook, by Mrs. Bliss (Philadelphia, 1860),  The recipe is titled "Number 1" simply because it is immediately followed by Number 2 Ginger Snaps,

Sources and Differences

The Southern Gardener and Receipt Book, third edition, by Mrs. Mary L. Edgeworth (Philadelphia, 1860) provides an identical recipe, instructing the baker to add "enough flour to make a soft dough."  The New Family Book or Ladies' Indispensable Companion and Housekeepers' Guide (New York, 1854) and The Improved Housewife (Hartford, Conn, 1844) also include the recipe, but with a significant difference - the instructions are "to add as much flour as can be rolled into the mixture."  The amount of flour would definitely change the consistency of the cookie.  Because I selected The Practical Cookbook,  my adaptation has just enough flour to roll.

Measurements and Technique

Butter:  Many agree that a period teacup holds 6 oz.  Since the recipe specifies one "tea-cup" of butter, I used 3/4 of a cup of butter rather than a standardized cup.

Baking Soda Reaction: The saucepan make look like it going to be too large, but the baking soda/molasses reaction creates a substantial volume of foam.  Do not walk away during this time- you must firmly stir the reaction down until it stops.

Cooled molasses mixture.  The baking soda changes the color of the top of the mixture to a golden brown.

Flour -  I stirred in my flour cup by cup, checking the consistency after each.  You may find you need more flour, but I would not use less.  The dough is very sticky.

Mixing-  I heartily recommend using a stand mixer to add the flour.  The dough burned out the motor of my hand mixer

Cutting the Cookies:  I used a shot glass as my cutter - the resultant cookie should be the size of a half dollar.  A shot glass seems to give the correct size

Time to Bake!

2 c molasses
3/4 c of butter
1 T ground ginger
1 t baking soda
3 1/2 c flour (or possibly more)
In a 4-qt saucepan, bring 2 c of molasses to a boil.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the butter, ginger, and baking soda.  The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam vigorously- continue stirring the mixture down until it ceases foaming.   Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Pour into a mixing bowl (stand mixer definitely recommended!).  Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.  The dough will be very sticky and thick, similar to fudge in consistency.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
On a well-floured pastry board, scoop out some dough.  Sprinkle some flour on top, turn the cookie dough to coat with flour and reduce sticking.  Roll out to desired thinness.  I found this dough can be rolled quite thin, but I prefer something around 1/4".  Using a shot glass as a cookie cutter, cut into shapes and transfer to cookie sheets (I use silicon baking sheets on mine). 

 Bake for 7 minutes, remove to a rack to cool.

The yield will vary, dependent upon how thinly you roll the dough.  I get approximately 9 dozen cookies from a batch.
The cookies may have a bit of crispness when they come off the sheet, but as they age and mellow, even in as short a time as one day, they soften to a delightful chewiness.   If you can stop yourself from eating them, they last a good long time.