As a food writer with a love for 1800’s recipes, I sometimes get the chance for an up-close look at some truly delightful bits of culinary history. Recently, a handwritten recipe for ginger snaps crossed my desk.
It was from a manuscript cookbook that dated to the mid-late 1800’s, and since most recipes pre-date the cook books in which they’re found, it’s a pretty good bet to say this particular cookie recipe is nearly 200 years old, or maybe more. Intrigued by the idea of baking such an old-fashioned treat, I gave the recipe a whirl, and let me tell you it was a hit! I absolutely loved these gingersnaps, and so did my kids, as well as their classmates.
A Little History, and Why It’s Special
The original recipe appeared in an unlabeled manuscript recipe book, with no exact date, just a lived‑in volume of culinary instructions. Dating such books can be tricky, but clues like the use of older leavening agents or references to now‑rare ingredients (a cholera remedy with opium, for instance) hint that this particular volume is likely from the late‑middle of the 1800s.
Photo Credit: Anna Chesley.
What I Did (and What Worked)
Here’s how I approached it, for making this hearth-cookery era recipe in my modern kitchen.
Ingredients:
The manuscript recipe is worded: “1 cup sugar, 1 molasses, 1 lard & butter, 2 spoons ginger, 1 soda, salt. Heat sugar, molasses, butter & lard to boiling, stir in ginger and soda while hot, mix stiff.”
Pretty simple! I used:
½ cup lard and ½ cup unsalted butter (to equal the “1 lard & butter” cup)
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 teaspoons of ginger
1 teaspoon of baking soda
a pinch of salt
3 cups of flour
You’ll notice that flour isn’t called for, but it’s implied in the words “mix stiff”. I found that 3 cups of flour was just right for this recipe.
Not so sure about using lard? No problem. I’ve made this recipe with both the mixture of lard and butter that the original calls for, but I’ve also tried it with using all butter instead. Both ways are delicious! Then, as now, lard was cheaper than butter, so using half lard for the fat needed in a recipe was a way to cut down costs, especially when cookies were “just’ being made for every day family eating, rather than company fare.
Process:
Bring the sugar, molasses, butter & lard to a boil, then stir ginger and baking soda in, while still hot. This part bubbles up dramatically, so be prepared, and use a pan with lots of extra room. You can also transfer the mixture to a large bowl to avoid overflow. Stir until the mixture settles down.
Let the mixture cool, then stir in about 3 cups flour, to get a nice firm dough.
Roll out dough roughly to 3⁄16″ thickness (a little less than ¼″) and cut with small round cookie cutters. I found that a cookie cutter with a 1.5” diameter worked beautifully.
Bake at 375 °F for about 8 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your cookies. Watch them closely, since these bake quickly. I suggest baking a small test batch to see how many minutes of bake time gives the results you love, then stick with that for baking up the rest of the batch.
Photo Credit: Anna Chesley.
Why We Love These So Much
The flavor of one of these gingersnaps means business, more than your average cookie. There’s a deep complexity from the molasses, then the wonderfully warming ginger, all wrapped up in a cookie that snaps with every crisp bite.
They’re light, yet crisp, and hold up well, perfect for packing into lunch boxes, sharing at school, or snack time.
The process becomes a fun family teaching moment, wrapping a baking lesson up with a taste of history, all at the same time. My 9‑year‑old jumped right in with rolling, cutting, and experimenting with dough thickness and bake times.
Not least, there’s also the novelty factor. Knowing we’re making a recipe that was loved back during the Civil War era, or probably earlier, makes history feel tangible. There’s a real joy to savoring the same treat that a 9-year-old in the nineteenth century would have loved, as much as my kiddo does today.
A Few Tips For Trying This In Your Own Kitchen
If you’re unsure about lard, it’s ok to go with all butter. I’ve done this and got excellent results. Don’t let a lack of lard stop you from trying this tasty treat!
Don’t skip the step of letting the boiling mixture cool before adding flour. This really does give you a better final dough.
Thickness and size matter. Thicker cookie = softer cookie; thin cookie = crisp, crackly snap. We love a light, crispy gingersnap around here, so keeping the dough fairly thin worked well.
Start with a small test batch to perfect your bake time based on your oven and cookie size.
Photo Credit: Anna Chesley.
Final Verdict
This is more than just a cookie recipe, it’s a little slice of culinary heritage. Baking these by hand, rolling the dough and cutting out cookies with my kids, and enjoying the scent of that old‑timey ginger‑molasses aroma as it filled the house? Totally worth it.
My kids have declared these the best fall cookies, and they’re now a special part of our own handwritten collection of favorite family recipes. If you love crisp, spicy gingersnaps and you’re up for something just a bit different from the usual, this recipe is a real winner. It’s also a lovely reminder that as much as things change, the comfort of a delicious homemade treat, made with love, is as sweet now as it was 200 years ago.
