Ginger Snaps

I just made my great-great-grandmother's Ginger Snaps today. I'm sending a care package to a friend who's serving in Iraq, and she requested I send her lots of cookies, so I baked up a batch of these for her. Don't they look yummy? I made them into Easter shapes, butterflies and eggs and crosses, because the package should reach her in time for Easter.


Ginger Snaps

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup Karo dark syrup
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla

Put sugar, shortening, syrup, and vinegar in a pan and let it come to a boil. Pour into a big mixing bowl (really big, so it doesn't overflow during this step) and add baking soda. Let cool. Sift in flour, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add vanilla and mix. Roll out, adding a little more flour if it's too sticky. Cut out, placing at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheets (these spread a lot). Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Cool on sheet for 30 seconds before transferring to wire racks. Makes 5 dozen cookies.