Boiled Ginger Snaps

These aren’t your soft, chewy modern gingersnaps. These are the real deal: rolled paper-thin, baked until they shatter at first bite, with a molasses kick that lingers on the tongue.

The trick is in the name. Molasses and water get boiled together, then the hot liquid melts the shortening before meeting the dry ingredients. This boiled method creates a dough that rolls out beautifully thin after chilling and bakes into cookies with serious snap.

Brown sugar and ground ginger give them that deep, warming heat, while the baking soda reacts with the molasses to create a crackly, crisp texture.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling. Warm dough will stick to everything and frustrate you to no end.
• Roll as thin as you possibly can. The thinner the cookie, the crispier the snap.
• Watch them closely in the oven. At this thinness, they go from golden to burned in about 60 seconds.

Variations

• Swap the lard for butter if you prefer. You’ll lose a little crispness but gain a richer flavor.
• Add a pinch of black pepper or cayenne for gingersnaps with an extra kick.
• Dip cooled cookies halfway in melted dark chocolate for a holiday treat.