Soft Ginger Drops

If you live in Nashville, today definitely felt like Fall.  It was cool and rainy.  I wanted to bust out my Fall decorations, but they are all packed and ready for the next house.  My friend Jenny Oliver is a Fall lover.  She has the best pumpkin recipes.  I'll have to get her to share some on here.  I think of her when I think of Fall.  :) 

Anyway, this is all leading to tonight's recipe for Soft Ginger Drop Cookies.  My mom was in town visiting and she bought molasses and I got on her because she only used a couple of teaspoons and I didn't want a full jar of molasses just sitting in my cupboards.  So she decided to make these cookies.  For some reason, her and I got a kick out of telling Adam that these were the Indiana State Cookie and then made fun of him because he didn't know his state's cookie.  He went to work the next day and looked it up.  Turns out that only a couple of states have an official cookie. 

She started making the cookies and the batter smelled AWFUL!  The molasses stunk!  I told her I would NOT be eating them but then when they came out of the oven, you could smell the sweetness of the molasses combined with the nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves..all scents that make me think of Fall.  They ended up being delicious and they make me think of this season, so that is why I made them today and I'd like to share them with you.  Plus molasses is high in iron and my girls and I all have low iron, so why not boost that iron count up with a bunch of cookies?!  They are so soft and delicious, I hope you give them a try!

Soft Ginger Drops

from mom

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 light molasses
4 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 cup boiling water

Combine shortening, sugar, egg, and molasses.  Mix well.  Add sifted dry ingredients, then the boiling water, stirring until smooth.  Drop by tsp onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.  Frost while still warm.

Frosting
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp soft butter
1 tsp lemon extract
3 Tbsp milk

Beat until smooth and spread on warm ginger snaps.
I didn't have lemon extract so I used vanilla and I had a whole lemon so I just zested it and added it to the frosting for the lemon taste. 

Adam and I have spent the last couple of afternoons in the garage, cleaning it out, packing things up.  Today I didn't feel good and I was down and needed extra encouragement to get up and get going.  Plus it is around 1 o'clock when we head out there (after the girls are down) and that is a sleepy time of day anyway.  So today Adam got me going by playing Christmas music and letting me use the nice tape dispenser.  He kept losing the tape dispensers and sharpies so now he has to wear them with a string tied around his neck like a necklace so they don't get lost.  He's the master of setting something down and shoving things in his pockets.  We'll be leaving for church and he'll be out in the car and I'll be looking for my phone all OVER the house and I finally I give up and when I get to the car I'll say, "have you seen my phone?" and then he'll pull it out of his pocket.  He also gets frantic when we are going on road trips and he'll start grabbing things and putting them in the diaper bag.  Extra spoons, bibs, the tv remote....just kidding.  But it wouldn't surprise me.  He's got so many strong points, but packing just isn't one of them.  :)

The girls have been wild today.  Probably because the weather is cooler and it was raining.  We went by our new house and pulled both cars in the garage and it will be a tight fit.  They left behind a lot of storage shelves in the garage and we'll have to mount them up on the wall so we can pull all the way in.  It was also laundry day today.  I've been ironing off and on all day and Adam's been my folder.  It has been nice having him around to help me out.  Too bad Labor Day can't be Labor Week.  :)

Pray for our little family tomorrow.  I've had this day circled, highlighted, and surrounded by smiley faces because the girls will be at Mother's Day Out and I'll have two days a week to MYSELF!  MUAAHAHAHAHA!!! (my evil laugh)  But now that the day has come and I've got them all packed up, I'm really sad.  I'm nervous about Emilie not liking it and I'm going to miss having someone in the backseat pointing out every octagon while I'm driving.  I'm sure it will be fine, but these girls really are growing up WAY too fast. 

Look who loves to climb the stairs!

Look who is going to show her HOW to climb the stairs!

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend!   Love to all! Pin It Now!