Food souvenirs are my favorite. I love bringing home a unique ingredient I learned about on a trip, or getting a taste of a friend's adventure through a local product. The only problem with food souvenirs is they bring out my secret inner hoarder. Sometimes I hold onto them for so long, waiting for a special moment, that I never wind up using them because I save them past their prime. What foolishness!
My parents, sister, and brother-in-law recently took a trip to the spice islands of Tanzania. My mom brought back a variety of whole spices for me. I think it was the best souvenir I have ever received! She brought freshly ground dried ginger, whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, nutmeg in bright pink shells, spicy black peppercorns, whole cinnamon stick bark, dried red chiles, and lots of vanilla beans. This time, I am determined to use them, not lose them! I sought a recipe that included many of my special spices in our family cookbook, and found one named after me:
Sally's Gingersnaps
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar (I prefer light)
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. turbinado sugar (aka sugar in the raw)
Preheat oven to 375. Cream shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into molasses mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Form into small balls and roll in turbinado sugar. Place balls two inches apart on greased cookie sheet and use fork to create crosshatch pattern on top of dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes (less for chewy cookies, more for crunchy), cook on rack, and keep in sealed container.
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