Ginger snaps

[magid]

Ginger snaps are usually crunchy cookies that have a bit of ginger in them, one of a number of spices. TJ's organic ginger snaps, however, have heat, the bite of ginger down in the throat, after only a cookie or two. They're totally addicting, for this ginger lover, anyway.

Why is it that gingersnaps are always hard? I mean, ok, snap = hard cookie. But it would be nice to have these gingery cookies in a softer version, too.

Comments

And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I like to dip (or even soak) snaps in milk, thus making them easier to eat.

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[magid.livejournal.com]

I tried dipping cookies in milk once, and didn't like how the texture changed. Cookies with milk, fine, but in milk, not so much. (I don't know whether my mom's never having sugar cereals in the house plays into this.)

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

There was a type of digestive biscuit I used to buy that was exquisite when dipped into Earl Grey tea. I've never been able to find a kosher substitute. :(

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[magid.livejournal.com]

What kind of biscuit was it?

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I do not remember. It's a type I used to find in Greece but have not seen here, and it's been long enough since I bought them that I can't remember the brand.

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[magid.livejournal.com]

Alas, for long-lost foods.

I have no idea why I keep thinking "perhaps a lavender-flavored biscuit?"...

Re: And here I am using my teeth like a chump

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

Could be quite good ... I recently had a lavender-flavored lollipop (a Preggie Pop, supposedly good for reducing nausea) and it was very good. Much better than I expected, in fact. I love the scent of lavender but find that it's not always presented well in commercially prepared foods.

Re: lavender

[magid.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I've had anything commercially prepared that was lavender-flavored.

I've made a couple of things with lavender (mostly foccaccia and chicken)(I grow it on my porch), and seen lavender lemonade at the farmer's market.

[bitty.livejournal.com]

The gingersnap recipe I use can produce softer cookies. (I usually mix and match.) Plus, lots of fresh ginger.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Yummy. Recipe?

[bitty.livejournal.com]

too long to type up. i will try and remember to lend you the book sometime soon. if you're desperate, cross the street to rosie's and it's one of her cookbooks :)

(i find the recipes in her books hit or miss - either it's fucking fantastic, or it sucks. but totally worth it for the ones that work.)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

(Do you annotate, so you know which is which?)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Ginger snaps were probably the cookie I made most when I lived with my parents. And I'm pretty sure I had them come out soft at times. Mmm . . .

[magid.livejournal.com]

My problem is that at heart, I'm a lazy cook, so I tend not to make cookies, but bars. Though perhaps I could experiment...

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Then you probably really don't want to make ginger snaps :) They take a bit more work than, say, chocolate chip cookies, cause you're supposed to roll the dough into little balls, roll the balls in sugar, and then flatten them (with a glass, though probably your hand would work just fine, too). Hmm - though if they freeze well, the effort might be justifiable if you made a HUGE batch and froze a bunch of it.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just not motivated enough. Or I have alternate ginger delivery systems that are less work :-)

I so wish I had freezer space. Or could figure out where to put a deep freeze.

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

can you put a small chest freezer in, say, your living room? You could throw a pretty table-cloth (or just plain fabric) over it when you're not trying to get in and out of it, so that it just looks like a pretty chest/table/cabinet/whatever when you're not using it.

[magid.livejournal.com]

There's not enough space, at least as the place is configured currently. Total square footage (including hallways and such) is 864 square feet, split into not-large rooms (plus I have a "drifts of paper in corners" problem). There's a small chance that I'll manage to reorganize the bedroom in such a way as to fit one, but I'm too far from having done the other stuff I need to do in there to be able to tell (current guess: no, but who knows).

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I've had soft ginger cookies once, but they weren't called ginger snaps. Maybe do a websearch for a recipe?

[magid.livejournal.com]

That would make too much sense :-).

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

The Target brand ginger snaps, oddly enough, also have quite a bit of heat. More surprising is that Julian appears to be addicted to them. They are crisp the first day you open them, but the next day they are pretty soft, but don't actually taste stale.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Target, huh? That's impressive. And I know some kids who like spicy foods; you're lucky to have one.

I know that gingerbread is supposed to keep for a long time. I wonder if there's something about ginger that has a preservative effect, keeping the stale taste away even if the texture changes.

So I should open them the day before I want to eat them...

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

It could, theoretically be related to the humidity down here, except that the experiment happened when it wasn't particularly humid (and didn't happen to other cookies/crackers...even the Target brand Graham crackers)

Julian doesn't usually care for *spicy* foods exactly. But he does prefer his scrambled eggs with a little bit of ground black pepper. Weird.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I think of black pepper and ginger as somewhat different spiciness than the thwap over the head of hot peppers or horseradish, more of a subtle heat than an active burn, sort of. He's just got a nuanced palate :-)

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

Yes! Nuanced! That's why his diet is limited to:

Apples
Bananas
Peaches
Cucumbers
Scrambled Eggs
Toast
Cheese
Hot Dogs
Chicken Nuggets
Pizza
Pretzels
Crackers
Cookies

I will say, he knows the difference between the two brands of String Cheese we buy him... and he doesn't like one of them. Maybe he really IS nuanced!

(I'm also only *almost* kidding about his limited diet. I'm certain there are other things he eats, but basically the above list are his "staples")

[magid.livejournal.com]

Wait! You forgot noodles! :-)

For a picky toddler, it's better than some I've seen, actually. Plus, at least there are things from all the food groups. Is it a problem that you want to change proactively, or assume it's a phase and he'll eat more things as he grows?

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

I assume he'll eat more things as he grows. In fact, he IS eating more things now. I forgot about noodles. Boy does he love his noodles. And cheerios. Big fan of the cheerios. And Morningstar Farms "Chicken" Nuggets And, um, potato chips/french fries, but those aren't exactly something to brag about.

I just wish he would eat green beans or something. And rice. It would be nice if I could convince him to eat normal food that we eat... it's hard to plan around him for meals, particularly when we are taking him out. No guarantees there'll be anything on the table he's interested in eating. For example, he'll eat chicken nuggets happily (if he's in the mood), but he's not interested in pieces of cut up chicken. It's not even a breading thing... he'll eat the chicken nuggets even if I take off the breaded part, but he won't eat regular chicken with breading (like schnitzel). Weird, eh?

Now I'm thinking about writing up a journal entry about his eating habits. Because now that I think about it, he'll eat a LOT of things. The picky part comes in that he gets in moods where he will only eat one thing. Or doesn't like any of the choices you offer him, or whatever. But it is getting better, I have to admit.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I remember reading an article by a mom who felt that kids are frequently more willing to eat things they usually don't when they're out (restaurant, someone else's house). Also that almost anyone will eat a fritter, so it's reasonable to slip veggies into the mix of stuff before you fry it :-).

He eats cukes, at least, so that's something green.

As for the chicken, maybe it's a texture thing? The nuggets usually more homogenous in texture than regular chicken, yes? (I like the spicy not-chicken nuggets by [in the refrigerated cases by the tofu; blanking on name], and they have things like broccoli nuggets.

I guess I assume that kids have picky times, but if they're mostly not picky, then well, that's ok.

I'm glad he's getting better, though; easier on you :-)

[cellio]

I sometimes make gingery cookies that come out soft. Google should be able to help you out. (The physical cookbook I got it from calls it a ginger-molasses cookie, if that helps.)

Next time I make them I'm going to try adding crystalized ginger to the mix to see what happens.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the name. My problem is that I'm generally too lazy to make cookies (all that work on each individual one, and careful timing while in the oven, and so on). Maybe next month when things aren't manic, I'll convince myself to do it anyway.

I think the crystallized ginger will be yummy. Probably better in the soft cookies, for texture reasons, but that's a totally uninformed guess.

[cellio]

My problem is that I'm generally too lazy to make cookies

This sounds like a job for... gingerbread!

I think the crystallized ginger will be yummy. Probably better in the soft cookies, for texture reasons, but that's a totally uninformed guess.

Yes, I meant in soft cookies. My theory is that crystalized ginger can play a role similar to chocolate chips, but tastier.

[magid.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a job for... gingerbread!

What color cape would gingerbread wear? *grin*
But yeah. Gingerbread's usually got a cakier texture, but it's much faster. I might make some for Sukkot, or possibly experiment with adding ginger to the banana applesauce cake that I've been making a lot of this fall.

My theory is that crystalized ginger can play a role similar to chocolate chips, but tastier.

Of course, there are those who would say one should embrace the power of "and" here :-).

[bitty.livejournal.com]

Just came across a recipe for mustard gingerbread. Thought of you ;)

[magid.livejournal.com]

OK, that definitely has potential!

[bitty.livejournal.com]

In fact, it is on the page right after the banana cake I just threw in the oven.

[magid.livejournal.com]

You threw a page of banana cake in the oven?

[bitty.livejournal.com]

With fuel prices this high, burning bad recipes beats burning a real book.