Gingersnaps with Pumpkin Dip

It is officially Fall!  I am one of those people that is obsessed with the flavors of fall, specifically, gingerbread.  I love dark gingerbread cake, I love crispy gingerbread men and the smells of hard-baked gingerbread houses.  However, my favorite ginger-flavored snack is, hands down, soft gingersnaps.  Most bakeries hard-bake their gingersnaps and while that is tasty, it just doesn’t compare with deliciously soft gingersnaps.  This recipe came from a former co-worker, Heather, and is my all-time favorite and they are particularly delicious with RA‘s Pumpkin Dip, recipe  originally posted here.

Gingersnaps
Makes about 36 cookies
Preheat oven to 350

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons molasses
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

sugar for rolling

Beat shortening and sugar together until fluffy, add egg and molasses and mix again.  Sift flour together flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Add to sugar-molasses mixture and beat until a thick dough forms.

Using a cookie scoop* form dough into balls, roll in sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven when balls and puffed up and cracking, but before they darken around the edges.  Let cool on baking sheet 3-5 minutes, transfer to wire rack.