So I've finally managed to settle down after a whirlwind week of travel. And, unfortunately, I've settled down right into a giant pile of work. Not exactly what I expected from my first week back. I guess that's college for you. I'm currently sitting in a corner of the library surrounded by fluorescent lights and palpable despair, wishing I had a cookie.
Because cookies make everything better. My friend Emily always makes a point of bringing 'snacks on snacks' to the library as a sort of survival kit. Her kit usually includes a bag of Tesco's finest chocolate chip cookies. Now I have nothing personal against Tesco or their cookies, but I find that homemade is a better bet when it comes to baked goods. Leave the cured meat and cheese curls to the big guys- I won't be attempting those any time soon. But a cookie? Well, I can do that.
Christmas mania has set in at my flat. We feel that, once Starbucks wheels out its festive paper cups, it's time to go crazy. In the spirit of the (still quite distant) holiday season, I opted for ginger cookies. Hannah, one of my roommates had her heart set on sugar cookies, so we went whole hog and made both. Even though the sugar cookies are awfully tasty, I saw Hannah scorning her beloved sugar cookies in favor of those warmly-spiced, crackly-topped ginger cookies.
I'm not really sure if I actually have an Aunt Milly. In fact, I'm not really sure I have any relatives named Milly. My mom has a little box full of hand-written recipe cards that sits in the windowsill above our kitchen counter. Before I left for school last year, I combed through the box, searching for recipes I know I'd miss while I was away. We hadn't made these that often, but I had faint memories of Christmases past when I had happily gobbled down cookie after cookie, so I took my chances and copied it down. Thank goodness I did.
These toe the line between soft and pillowy and a little bit chewy. Their sweetness doesn't hit you in the face; it's mellower than that. They are lovely to look at and fit right in at this time of year. And no one will complain if you make them.
Aunt Milly's Ginger Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat canola oil, sugar, egg, and molasses together with an electric mixer. Whisk together dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Transfer dough to a plastic bag and place in freezer for thirty minutes to allow dough to become firm. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.
Because cookies make everything better. My friend Emily always makes a point of bringing 'snacks on snacks' to the library as a sort of survival kit. Her kit usually includes a bag of Tesco's finest chocolate chip cookies. Now I have nothing personal against Tesco or their cookies, but I find that homemade is a better bet when it comes to baked goods. Leave the cured meat and cheese curls to the big guys- I won't be attempting those any time soon. But a cookie? Well, I can do that.
Christmas mania has set in at my flat. We feel that, once Starbucks wheels out its festive paper cups, it's time to go crazy. In the spirit of the (still quite distant) holiday season, I opted for ginger cookies. Hannah, one of my roommates had her heart set on sugar cookies, so we went whole hog and made both. Even though the sugar cookies are awfully tasty, I saw Hannah scorning her beloved sugar cookies in favor of those warmly-spiced, crackly-topped ginger cookies.I'm not really sure if I actually have an Aunt Milly. In fact, I'm not really sure I have any relatives named Milly. My mom has a little box full of hand-written recipe cards that sits in the windowsill above our kitchen counter. Before I left for school last year, I combed through the box, searching for recipes I know I'd miss while I was away. We hadn't made these that often, but I had faint memories of Christmases past when I had happily gobbled down cookie after cookie, so I took my chances and copied it down. Thank goodness I did.
These toe the line between soft and pillowy and a little bit chewy. Their sweetness doesn't hit you in the face; it's mellower than that. They are lovely to look at and fit right in at this time of year. And no one will complain if you make them.
Aunt Milly's Ginger CookiesMakes 3 dozen cookies
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat canola oil, sugar, egg, and molasses together with an electric mixer. Whisk together dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Transfer dough to a plastic bag and place in freezer for thirty minutes to allow dough to become firm. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.
This recipe sounds amazing! I think this will be the next ginger cookie I try.
ReplyDeleteIt's super funny that you're not even sure that this Millie person is actually your relative :P Very smart of you to copy down the recipe, though!
hi hayley. this recipe came from Megan--so it is someone else's Aunt Milly!
ReplyDeleteYUM! Beautiful photos too. I can't wait to make these.
ReplyDelete-Sarah (sat next to you on plane this summer!)
p.s. what is your email address?
Kaitlin- you most definitely should! they were a smash hit, even in Scotland!
ReplyDeleteSarah- hellooooo! it's so nice to hear from you. my email address is hayley.daen@gmail.com. cannot wait to hear from you
those look good
ReplyDelete