Bacon Fat Gingersnaps Recipe

CookFight | Ecco, 2012

We’re not certain which we find more incredulous, the sheer brilliance behind these bacon fat gingersnaps or the fact that said brilliance was first shared with the world by a fashion reporter. Yup. New York Times fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, broke the story. As Horyn’s colleague, New York Times food writer Julia Moskin explains in the book CookFight, “The equivalent would be if I, a food writer, were also a sleek fashion plate with a deep bench of vintage and modern pieces.” Yet unlike a lot of that froufrou fashion, these cookies aren’t mere novelty. Nope. Not at all. “I feel they are the cookie equivalent of Paris Fashion Week—a modern, edgy take on a classic,” continues Moskin in the recipe’s headnote. “The cookies are truly remarkable, with a robust and smoky undertone that sets them apart from other gingersnaps.” Yup. What she said. The bacony goodness that follows is the recipe found in CookFight, which was adapted from a recipe that appears in the Trinity Episcopal Church Recipe Book (1982 edition) courtesy of a Ms. Nelle Branson.–Renee Schettler Rossi

LC Baking With Bacon Fat Note

Why, oh why, has it taken mankind this long to stumble upon baking with bacon fat as a means of repurposing ingredients? And we call ourselves civilized. (Just kidding. Sorta. I mean, we do realize that other cultures have relied on the use of bacon drippings as baking fat. We just wonder if any other recipe is as inspired as this one.)

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes, not including cooling | Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies

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Ingredients

3/4 cup bacon drippings (from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon), at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for the work surface
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to 2 days.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Place about 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Break off 1-tablespoon chunks of cookie dough and roll them into balls. Drop them in the sugar, roll to coat, and place them on the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. If desired, gently flatten the dough.
4. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until dark brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Gluten-Free Soft Molasses Cookies from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies from Two Peas & Their Pod
Chocolate-Dipped Molasses Cookies from Leite's Culinaria
Ginger-Chile Caramel Cookies from Leite's Culinaria