Brandy Snaps

Hello again, faithful reader.  I managed to get a cold and spent the past week either sleeping or working, but now that I'm better... Let's continue playing with desserts. Cookies this time, now that our heat wave has snapped. At least, I think they'll be cookies. Or cookie-like. Or perhaps not at all cookie-esque.

Brandy snaps!

These brandy snaps have no leavening so they won't rise but otherwise the recipe looks cookie-ish. Also, no brandy. I'm not sure why they're called brandy snaps then. Should one eat them while drinking brandy? And there is plenty of molasses and ginger. Do ginger snaps taste good with brandy? Alas, no brandy in the pantry. It's up to you, Faithful Reader, to let me know.

They don't require many ingredients.

Brandy Snaps
(adapted from Fannie Farmer's What to Have for Dinner, 1905 edition)

1/4 c molasses
2 1/2 T butter
1/2 c flour, scant
1/3 c sugar
2 1/4 t ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 (or whatever your definition is of a moderate oven) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix flour, sugar, and ginger together in a bowl.
3. Place molasses in a small saucepan and bring to just below a boil.
4. Add butter, stir until melted.
5. Stir in dry ingredients.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets 3 inches apart. (about 1 tablespoon makes a cookie about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.)
7. Bake 9 to 10 minutes.
8. Let cool on sheet.

Brandy snap dough.

Results: I made lace cookies! I've never tried making them before. These're good, especially if you like ginger. They're also a bit buttery. Next time, I'll cut down on the butter, perhaps to 1 1/2 tablespoons. And of course, I halved the recipe. The next day they have a sort of candy/crunchy consistency, which I like. Yield = 18 3-inch cookies.