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We are starting off this holiday season with cookie Press Gingersnap Cookies! So answer me this: Have cookie presses gone the way of the gelatin aspic and canned Spam? It seems to me that hardly anyone fiddles around with a cookie press come the holidays.
Yes, they can be a true pain in the butt, that’s for sure. But man, there is nothing like a carefully pressed cookie to make people smile.I, of course, thrifted myself a gorgeous 1960’s cookie press, complete in the box with the original instruction booklet as well, for a mere $4 this summer.
How to Make Gingersnap Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 °F
- Cream the butter and sugar together until combined, don’t over mix
- Add the molasses and egg and mix together completely
- In a separate bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together with a whisk.
- Roll into balls, flatten with a fork and sprinkle with sugar or use a cookie press on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges are crisp and cooked.
- Promptly remove from cookie sheet.
I’ve had modern cookie presses. I’ve had the old ones. Let me tell you, they both work the same. The new ones can be just as fiddly as the old ones, sometimes even worse. The lovely thing about the old ones however are the recipe booklets. The recipes are old. for sure, as you can see that this one uses shortening for the cookies and not butter. I’ve switched it to butter because it makes them infinitely more tasty.
These are snappy, crunchy little gingersnap cookies and they are made all the more delightful when you use the cookie press to make adorable shapes.
Let’s face it; Christmas is but once a year, so it’s the perfect time to whip out the cookie press and get those little shapes going. I don’t have the patience for it any other time of year, but the holidays are a special time. I like taking the extra care and time to make cute treats for my loved ones.
The rest of the year they get plain cookies. I only have so much patience.
Cookie press cookies remind me of my childhood. Cookie presses aren’t as popular as they once were but man, every time I see that someone has used on to make cookies, they make me smile.
The option are endless when it comes to the shapes and figures that you can make and then add sprinkles too.
If you’re looking for another recipe that works with a cookie press, head on over to my Whipped Shortbread Recipe and use that one. Just make sure to beat it for maybe half the time so that your cookies don’t fall apart in their shapes. The whipped shortbread can be too delicate for those shapes.
Aren’t these infinitely cuter than regular gingersnaps?
Make an afternoon of it and whip up these adorable little cookies. Buy some colored sprinkles, some Christmas themed colors and take your time making these. Freeze them and keep them until the big day!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
I have tons of Christmas cookie recipes! Try some of these:
A word of warning: these are exactly like real gingersnaps in the fact that they will burn on the edges if baked too long. If you have made gingersnaps before, you will know what I mean. They tend to brown quicker around the edges, so start watching these at the 8 minute mark. Nine minutes was perfect but ten meant burnt edges!
Happy Baking everyone!
Love,
Karlynn
Cookie Press Gingersnap Cookies
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 9 minutes
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 48
- Calories
- 83
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- sugar or coloured sprinkles to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F
- Cream butter and sugar until combined but don’t over mix them. you don’t want it really light and fluffy
- Add in the molasses and egg and mix in completely.
- In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients with a whisk.
- Roll into balls, flatten with a fork and sprinkle with sugar or use a cookie press on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes.
- Promptly remove from cookie sheet.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Jeani says
The original vintage recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsps baking soda and yours doesn’t. Yes or no?
Brooke says
Crunchy and good. I have the same vintage recipe booklet. I used 1/2 c butter and 1/4 c shortening and upped the ginger a bit.
T says
Seems to be a step missing between #4 & 5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients
Carol Mitchell says
I have my mom’s press just like yours. No book, no box. I have never press cookies. How do you get the dough to drop?
Bonnie says
ANY tips for I if the dough doesn’t drop for the press?
Farrah Innis says
I have never made ginger cookies can I use fresh ginger?
Lorianne Ward says
Karlynn, what kind of cookie press do you use? I need to get one and don’t want to waste my money buying crap.
Rosemarie Polich says
They look yummy! I can try- I don’t think I have a plate that looks quite like that though
Sophie Nakoneczny says
The shape doesn’t have to be the same. I’m sure there are a variety of plates.