Good morning everyone! It's turned quite cold here (-3C), and with high winds and snow flurries dancing outside my window, I thought it made the perfect setting for some baking. Winter baking!
Years ago, shortly after I was married, I picked up this magazine to try some new Christmas cookies.
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| 1990 Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies |
My mother always made her usual standbys for Christmas ... shortbreads, cherry snowballs, candy cane cookies & nutmeg logs ... and as much as I loved those cookies, I wanted to start some of my own traditions. This magazine was the perfect thing. Cookies that were quick to make (I hate fussy baking), quite traditional, and everyone loves them. One of my favourites are the Big Ginger Cookies, a recipe from Winnifred Jardine. I've been making these cookies for almost 25 years now, and they're part of our Christmas tradition.
The combination of ginger and molasses spells Christmas to me. I love gingerbread cookies too, and have a great recipe for them that I will share another day. But today I'd like to share these delicious crinkly, sugary topped ginger cookies.
If you'd like to give them a try, they're very simple, require no special ingredients (apart from the molasses & spices), and fill your house with a delicious aroma!
BIG GINGER COOKIES
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup butter (or margarine or shortening)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp. sugar
Combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to soften. Gradually add the 1 cup sugar; beat till fluffy. Add egg and molasses; beat well. Stir dry ingredients into beaten mixture.
Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls (1 heaping tablespoon dough each). Roll in 2 tablespoons sugar; place about 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes or till light brown and still puffed. Do not overbake. Let stand 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack. Cool. Makes 24
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I often package these up for gifts in some of those nice little gift bags with front windows, and they get rave reviews. Today they're just going into my beehive cookie jar.
Two dozen cookies fit perfectly!
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| Please help yourself! |
Thanks for stopping by!
Wendy
Linking up with Sarah at ...
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| A good honest cookie ;) |
Oh how fun to have snow flurries ~ it really is the perfect time to bake! I love making ginger snaps ~ that is huge tradition of mine at Christmas time. And yes, the aroma is absolutely a delight. I'll bookmark this post and whip up a batch for my kiddos this winter. Cookies from old magazines are the best. Thank you for sharing! Have fun at the tea party.
ReplyDeleteYou won't be disappointed with this recipe. I was thinking of actually buying some ginger root to really boost up the ginger taste. There are some great recipes in these old magazines. I bought some other 'Christmas Cookies' magazines in following years, but the recipes were all super fancy and didn't appeal to me.
DeleteHi Wendy,I love ginger biscuits, I sure will have a couple :) It is perfect for today with some milk tea. Your tea party is always special.
ReplyDelete- have a great day, even though it is cold outside :( - Gaia
Hi Gaia, I hope you enjoyed the cookies with your tea ;) Such a cold blustery day ... I hope the 'real' snow stays away for just a bit longer.
DeleteLove love love ginger!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Good. Then you can still be my friend ;)
DeleteYummy, think you made a wise decision starting your own traditions! :) x
ReplyDeleteIt's what sets us apart a little bit from the rest of our family.
DeleteYum, I love ginger cookies! Thank you for the recipe, Wendy. :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Jennifer!
DeleteGosh, how I wish I could help myself - I love ginger cookies! Thanks for sharing the recipe and your photography is really good!
ReplyDeleteHello Inkyfingers, nice to see someone new visiting :) Maybe you'll give these cookies a try. I wasn't sure about the photos today ... a bit grey out there and no good light coming into the house!
DeleteOh dear... those look really awesome and I bet quite tasty. You made me think about my cookie magazines I've collected over the years...I need to go on a quest... since I organized everything I don't know where a darn thing is, lol!
ReplyDeleteHugs and don't walk past that cookie jar too often, we have a lot of days between now and Christmas to get through! :D
Very buttery & gingery :) I don't buy many magazines (adds to my clutter), but this was sure a keeper! I'm avoiding that cookie jar and offering them to my son & husband instead (they'll finish them off quick enough!). Enjoy your evening Beth.
DeleteOh Wendy, that is cold!!! Baking and being indoors has to be the way to go, you got the fish in just in time I would think! I love your beehive cookie jar, it looks great with the ginger cookies inside. I bet they don't last long. Stay warm. xx
ReplyDeleteThis cold is just the beginning ... brrr. Yes, the fish came in on Sunday before this cold snap. I hope the cookies last for a couple of days so I can put them in my son's lunches.
DeleteOh yum! My favourite biscuits are gingerbread and ginger snaps - these looks very tasty too!! Thanks for sharing! I can't image it snowing - it never snows here in winter and at the moment we're getting hot humid days and watching storms build up the mountains - mixed with the haze and smell of bushfire smoke - summer is certainly in it's way!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your week,
Sarah x
I can't imagine a winter without snow. My dad's cousin lives in WA and it seems so odd when he sends me photos of their Christmas day and everyone is in shorts & tank tops! I hope the bushfires aren't too close!
DeleteMMMM they sound yummy Wendy!
ReplyDeleteNew traditions are great!
Ali x
I guess that after all these years, they're not so new anymore. I always make a few of my mom's cookies too just for my own sentimental heart ;)
DeleteThese look yummy Wendy, thank you for the receipt, I have pinned it and will definitely be giving them a go.:)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them as much as I do Linda :)
DeleteOh that was an unfair invitation - I couldn't quite reach into that lovely jar packed to the brim with goodies! But I will make some of my own for they look so delicious, thanks so much for the recipe! Joy x
ReplyDeleteSorry Joy, but it was the best I could offer up through this virtual world ;) Hope you like them!
DeleteOh my word! These look so delious I could eat one right off my screen!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this recipe. You know I am a sucker for something sweet! I am forever baking! Really love that bee hive cookie jar.....so cute!
Thanks so much for your sweet message you left for me...I appreciate it so much!
Here is my new blogs address: sundaysnotes.blogspot.com.
I already made changes this evening. Hope to see you over there soon!
Hugs....Shari
And do you know Shari that as I was taking these photos this morning I thought, "how would Shari photograph these to make them look like those lemon bars!!" I just love your photography ;) Thank you for your new blog address, I'll update my list tomorrow morning. I hope you're feeling better today now that you've changed over.
DeleteOh yum, I can almost taste them right now-and smell the aroma wafting throughout the kitchen! Thanks for sharing and stay warm!
ReplyDeletexx-
Jemma
It does smell wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteMmm, I love the combination of ginger and molasses in anything at all! I collected scads of magazines for years too and now I prefer to go to Pinterest for recipes. (less room for saving yummy treats)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your cookie recipe Wendy.
I don't keep magazines for just that reason (apart for this old favourite of course!). Hope you give the recipe a try :)
DeleteThose look so good!
ReplyDeleteyes, they are!
DeleteThey look really nice!I always need to bake something when it's cold too. It's the first day of actual winter here in Greece with rain and cold so I baked a couple of apples for dinner and the house smells wonderful. Thanks for becoming a follower, so did I! Looking forward to your gingerbread recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming over for a visit and for following Rose! Bakes apples sound so good ... we used to make them too with raisins & brown sugar stuffed in where the core was taken out. Sounds like a perfect warm treat for a cold day :)
DeleteOh Wendy!!! These look so delicious!!! I bet the molasses and the ginger is such an amazing taste! I will have to pin these so that I can add them to my baking list! Like you I have always done the traditional cookies that I was taught by my mom but I am always looking to change it up! And what a lovely present to give! I hope that you are having a great week friend and thank you so much for passing this one along!! I would love some more recipes if you have any!!! Nicole xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks Nicole! I'm sure you'll like these if you give them a try. My next recipe will be the gingerbread cookies, which is a really good one for making gingerbread houses! I'll try to post it before the season starts to get a little crazy ;) Enjoy the rest of the week!
DeleteOooooohhh! I know what's on my list this weekend! Deeee-licious! I has a ginger snap today and I just loved it... two dozen should suit me down to the ground! :) Hazel x
ReplyDeleteReally Hazel ... you've go to learn to share your baking!! ;)
DeleteOh Yum these look delicious I really love ginger cookies too-Better Homes and Gardens has always been one of my favorites for holiday recipes
ReplyDeleteThey ARE really good Kathy! I like BHG too ... they're always jam packed with lots of ideas and good recipes.
DeleteI love any cookies that have a ginger flavor.....they look scrumptious!!! I'll bet your house smelled just wonderful while you were baking them.
ReplyDeleteI think the aroma of baked cookies lasted longer than the actual cookies ;)
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