Ginger Snaps

 It doesn't take a lot for me to decide to bake something. Getting up in the morning is usually reason enough.

 I was looking through our box of recipes this morning, trying to find my favorite recipe for molasses cookies and came up empty-handed. A search of the net didn't turn up the recipe, either. Mom suggested I look for ginger snaps, instead. I found a recipe I liked and made a batch.

 The recipe isn't mine, of course, but it didn't take long for me to make a few minor notes (and changes) on the copy of the recipe I printed:

1. No need to follow directions. Just soften the margarine in a microwave and begin adding the ingredients. I always add sugar and egg first; I always add flour last. I just followed the order of the ingredients otherwise and poured them all together at once.

2. In my opinion, the completed cookie dough needs to be refrigerated an hour before you work with it. Otherwise it will be too sticky to handle.

3. I rolled the first dozen in powdered sugar. I didn't like the effect and won't do it again. It just adds mess and the finished cookie is pretty enough - and sweet enough - as is.

4. I noted two changes. Rolling the dough into one inch balls gave me 35 cookies, not 18. And ten minutes wasn't nearly long enough for a baking time. Each of my trays (a dozen at a time) took exactly 16 minutes to become perfectly baked.

 The combination of ingredients - especially the liberal use of cinnamon, clove and ginger - is perfect. So is the necessary molasses.

 So now we've got nearly three dozen to munch on and share. This recipe is little work and well worth the effort.