Visiting Westwood Cottage always meant a cup of tea and if you were lucky a gingersnap! Not just any gingersnap, they were made using a cookie press. Four inch long rectangles, crisp and perfect for dunking. They were kept in a flat sided glass jar in the bottom cupboard and when you heard the lid rotating off the jar you knew you were in for a treat. And on special occasions your tea was served using the “good tea cups” Regency by British Anchor Est. 1884.
Now, I make Grandma’s recipe and use the same tea cups. I don’t have Grandma’s cookie press and mine doesn’t make the same shape, but they still taste the same. They bring me back to the warm and inviting kitchen of Westwood Cottage once again.
Grandma Westwood’s Cookie Press Gingersnaps
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup lard (I used Tenderflake)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 – 4 cups flour
Combine all ingredients except for the flour. Add 1/2 cup boiling water before adding any flour. Add in flour until dough is the right consistency for the cookie press. Bake at 350 F for approximately 9 minutes.
Westwood Cottage 