Giant Ginger Cookies

Quick note: Food today consists primarily of leftovers. Homemade blueberry pancakes from the freezer for breakfast. Quiche planned for lunch. My husband has a dinner with colleagues tonight, so we had planned to go to dinner at my dad's but the weather may pre-empt that. Now the cookies... No one else I know makes these, so I do because I love them! 

The original recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens, November 1998. I usually make a vegan version because I run out of eggs by the time I get to them. Timing is everything. Underbake and they don't firm up. Too long and they burn and get too crunchy.

And I forgot the baking soda. So they look like hockey pucks. Oops. They taste good. I swear! And I left the oven on 300, instead of 350 which didn't help either.

Giant Ginger Cookies

1.5 cups shortening;

2 cups sugar;

2 eggs (or 4 ounces applesauce, that's about eight tablespoons);

1/2 cup molasses (I use blackstrap);

4.5 cups flour;

2 teaspoons baking soda (which I forgot this time);

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon;

1 teaspoon ground cloves;

1/4 teaspoon salt; 

Preheat oven to 350. Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs (or applesauce) and molasses. Add half the flour and remaining dry ingredients. Then stir in remaining flour with wooden spoon. Dough is very stiff. Shape dough into 2 inch balls using an ice cream scoop as a guide. Place on ungreased cookie sheets about 2.5 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes. Makes 25 four-inch cookies.