Today is my group’s reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club. What is the SRC? Basically you are assigned a fellow participant’s blog by the organizer and then you pick a recipe of your choice from that blog and make your version of it. But it is a secret, you cannot reveal whom you picked and what you made until the established posting date and time. This month’s secret: Aunt Helen’s Gingersnaps.

Gingersnaps 1

This month my assigned blog was a very sweet one: Sweet as Sugar Cookies written by Lisa. Lucky her, she grew up in Hawaii and Lisa says this was a great way to be introduced to different cuisines. She started baking at a young age too. Now I have seen a lot of baking sites with tons of non-baking recipes. Not the case here: this is really mostly baking recipes. When I looked at the index there was a secti0n dedicated to ginger cookies. That was a first for me. And I LOVE ginger cookies so as much. So as the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies , Pumpkin Chai Donut Muffins, and Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe were very appealing, I had to pick a ginger cookie.

ginger cookie lines

I chose the Aunt Helen’s Gingersnaps recipe. And before you ask, no Lisa does not have an Aunt Helen. Apparently the recipe can be found in a book called “Fleece Navidad” where a character, Aunt Helen, makes these cookies. OK so if you look at Lisa’s cookies and mine you will see a huge difference. I did a booboo. I assumed it was baking powder but only realized once in the oven that the recipe called for baking soda. Oh well I just cooked a bit longer. A voluntary change was mixing up ground ginger and freshly ground ginger. They were just like delicious bear claws cookies.

ginger cookie tray

Aunt Helen’s Gingersnaps

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 1 c. packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 c. molasses

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
  • Mix flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
  • Cream butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl, mixing well. Add the egg, grated ginger and molasses, and mix until blended. Add in the flour mixture.
  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 15 min.
  • Roll into 1 1/4-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake just until puffed and golden - anywhere from 15-20 min.Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

If you like roll balls in sugar before placing on the baking sheet. I skipped this step.

And just wanted to make a quick announcement. In 2 weeks I will be hosting the 3rd annual Cheap Ethnic Eatz Food Film Marathon. A day of food movies with food, how fun! Guests come and go during the marathon and the price of entry is a dish for the potluck. It is great fun. Check out for the follow up post soon.

food-film-marathon

The 2013 Paylbill

Les Émotifs Anonymes – What happens when a man and a woman share a common passion? They fall in love. And this is what happens to Jean-René, the boss of a small chocolate factory, and Angélique, a gifted chocolate maker he has just hired.

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle – An Asian-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.

Eat Drink Man Moman – A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members.

Eating Raoul – A relatively boring Los Angeles couple discover a bizarre, if not murderous way to get funding for opening a restaurant.


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