They’re too good. Too good for my own good! If you can imagine the perfect ginger snap or molasses cookie—only soft and chewy—these would come as close to the top of the list as you can get! Just my opinion, of course. But I can’t quit making them and I can’t quit eating them! The black pepper in this recipe threw me off just a bit, even though it’s just a half a teaspoon. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but when I sunk my teeth into this moist, full-of-flavor cookie, I realized exactly what the pepper contributed to the recipe—a cookie with a spicy kick and the perfect chew. In doing a little research about the Black Pepper Cookie, I discovered that just about every nationality has its own version on this scrumptious munchy. Now you have a recipe with the description that that is spoken is every language and culture on earth- “Mmmm!”
| Servings |
- 2 cups sugar (plus additional sugar for rolling cookies in)
- 1 1/2 cups shortening (Crisco)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 level teaspoons cloves
- 2 level teaspoons ginger
- 2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together sugar and shortening until creamy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Sift together remaining dry ingredients, except for the baking soda. Combine wet mixture with the sifted flour mixture. Stir in baking soda last. Roll dough into slightly larger than golf-ball size balls and roll in sugar. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet (do not press down) at 350 for 8 minutes. Cookies will rise and when they begin to crack on top, they’re ready to come out. Do not overcook. To keep cookies moist and chewy, while still warm, place in plastic container or zip lock bag immediately. Recipe makes about 36 cookies.
Jan's Baking Notes:
We made a few batches before we got the timing down pat. We would take them out just a little too late and they would end up a bit too overcooked and crispy. The real beauty of these gems is that they’re chewy and soft! Anyone can buy a hard ginger snap, right? A lot depends on your oven and whether or not you’re using convection or conventional bake. The good news is they’re tasty even when they’re a little bit overcooked. But they’re magnificent if you can get the timing just right—and take them out of the oven just slightly underdone. Watch for the cracks on top.
Then, keep them in an airtight container or bag to keep them soft.
