Recently it dawned on me that many of the recipes I love contain spices-cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, and I wondered why that is. Why do recipes for Pumpkin Pie, Molasses Crinkles, Tomato Soup Cake, Cinnamon Buns and War Cake appeal so much to me and make me recall happy childhood memories? Why do I choose these recipes over and over again?
Perhaps it has to do with aromas, with the sense of smell invoking memories. According to research I did on the internet, the word 'spice' refers to a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetable substance, and the earliest evidence of its use by humankind was around 50,000 B.C. Back then, spices were connected with magic, medicine, religion, tradition and preservation (think mummification).
During the Middle Ages, spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves were imported to Europe from plantations in Asia and Africa, and with the discovery of the New World additional spices found their home in the kitchen. Who can imagine cooking without vanilla, allspice, bell and chilli peppers, and even chocolate? What a bland world we would live in.
So now this makes sense to me, my predilection for sharing spicy recipes and the memories each recipe evokes in me. I'll do my best to offer a variety of recipes in the future, recipes that contain no cinnamon or cloves or ginger, but not today.
Today I'm sharing a recipe for Overnight Ginger Snaps, another one of my favourite recipes that have been passed down from mother to daughter. I hope you try these-they are simple to make, oh so tasty (even the raw dough is good), and will certainly be a hit with your family this holiday season. These crisp, crunchy cookies dearly beg to be dipped into a steaming cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate, so you may want to have the coffee brewed or the kettle on when you offer these treats to your loved ones.
Overnight Ginger Snaps
1 cup shortening
½ cup molasses
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 ½ - 3 cups flour
Directions
Cream together shortening and molasses. Add brown sugar, spices, salt and baking soda. Add flour last. Mix together well. Roll in long rolls, wrap in waxed paper and place in refrigerator until firm. Slice and bake in moderate (350° F) oven for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly browned.
Note: Cookie dough keeps in refrigerator for several days or can also be frozen to bake when you wish.
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