I know, everyone who bakes has a recipe for ginger cookies. But does everyone have a recipe for a perfect ginger cookie along with a story about one of their children’s nocturnal pastimes involving a cookie jar? Now that I doubt! So while I prepare to make these delicious cookies for our upcoming trailer vacation (Mr. Cs request), I am going to tell you the story of 2 young girls – daughter number one (for the sake of this story let’s call her Eden) and Little Red Riding Hood.

When my kids were growing up, there were almost always homemade cookies in the cookie jar. Making cookies for my children was always a win/win situation. I liked to bake, and they liked to eat cookies! What could be better?  And most of the time the cookie jar lived on top of the refrigerator theoretically out of reach of the children.

But Eden was a teenager, and tall enough to reach the jar. Every night (at least it seemed like every night) she would sneak into the kitchen and take the cookie jar off the refrigerator and place it on the counter. Then with all the stealth of a tiger hunting its prey, she would try to lift the lid off the cookie jar without me hearing her do so. And even though I may have been fast asleep, that tiny little sound would wake me up every time. And of course I would do what all good mommies do, I would tell her to step away from the cookie jar and no one would get hurt!

Now granted, I never got out of bed to make sure she hadn’t taken a cookie before returning the jar to its place of honor. But what fun would that have been for either of us? First of all she wasn’t over weight, she played soccer, had plenty of good nutrition in her diet, and after a while it became a fun game enjoyed by both of us. We still laugh about it. And you can bet your grandmother’s favorite snickerdoodle recipe she will inherit that porcelain beauty when Mr. C. and I go to that big cookie jar in the sky!

Oh, did I forget to tell you how Little Red Riding Hood fits in this story? Take another look at the photo above. Picture Little Red Riding Hood without her head and a teenage girl’s hand down her throat!

(I love you my darling Eden. Thanks for being a part of my life and for letting me share your story.)

• ¾ c. vegetable shortening
• 1 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg, room temperature
• ¼ c. molasses
• 2¼ c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ c. granulated sugar or more as needed

Thoroughly cream the shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together or sieve the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger together. Add to the shortening mixture. Roll or scoop into balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten unbaked cookies with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not over-bake. (As soon as cracks appear all over the surface of the cookies, they are done.) Let cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.