Veggie Challenge #10: Ginger Root

There was nothing that was a challenge about this. Not even a question, really. You have mass amounts of ginger and a sweet tooth. What do you make? Ding ding! Ginger-Molasses Cookies from scratch.

My love affair with ginger cookies started a long time ago. I remember one specific story from my early high school years that involved them. We were in the Flats in downtown Cleveland celebrating my little sister's birthday and had parked the car in a meter spot on the street. Now, for those of you that are not familiar with my hometown, "the Flats" is an area of downtown that straddles the Cuyahoga River that used to be home to some of the craziest nightlife in Ohio. (I know, for some that is not saying much, but it was wild.) These days, though, you don't want to be anywhere near the Flats when the sun goes down, but there are still a handful of things worth venturing down to see while the sun is up.

We parked long enough to eat a nice lunch and when we came back to the car the front driver-side window had been shattered. This was back in the day when cell phones were far from commonplace so we were not surprised when both the phones that had been left in the car were gone. (It's also how you know this was forever ago. Who leaves their phone in the car now when there is constant Facebooking and FourSquaring to be done?) The thief made off with only one other item. What was it you ask? My bag of gingersnaps. Two cell phones and my Gingersnap cookies. The nerve, I tell you. (I only just realized what a fat girl that story makes me out to be. Who travels with gingersnaps?) Anyway, I digress.

I cannot take credit for doing anything fancy with this recipe. Well, aside from executing it perfectly, of course. These were some of the best cookies I have ever made.