My Box of Cookies from my secret FFWD Valentine arrived at The Gant in Aspen before me. Although I had e-mailed, called and texted the kids at the front desk to ‘not even think of eating those cookies’, I paid a ransom when I picked the box up. They received a big red tin of homemade Valentine Cookies from me. There were smiles all around.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY 2013……….
This year many of us who belong to French Fridays with Dorie participated in a Valentine’s Cookie Exchange. Everything about this project was supposed to be top-secret until the “Big Reveal” on February 14th. Yeah, right……..
Our leader for this project was Alice Mizer who blogs at A Cooking Mizer. If you remember, Alice masterminded our Christmas card exchange and managed the project artfully. Admittedly, this Cupid Crowd was a bit unruly and, honestly, who can keep a secret? But along came February 14th, we’ve all sent treats to our secret Valentines, and you can see their sugary results and recipes at our French Fridays with Dorie link.
My secret Dorista Valentine knows how to put the Giant in Ginger Snaps. These cookies were humongous and outrageously delicious.
Nothing about this project was difficult for me. I received the name of my secret Valentine, baked my tasty cookies, packaged them up and went to the post office to mail to Massachusetts on deadline. What totally traumatized me was after paying my proper postage, the postal clerk heaved, and, I mean, heaved my box into the postal bin.
How does your cookie crumble?
So, I immediately blew my cover and e-mailed my secret Valentine, Betsy, telling her that if my cookies arrived in pieces to NOT tell me.
The cookies I received were packaged in 9 feet of bubble wrap. Seriously. Trust me, this lady, who owns a bakery, knows how to send baked goods. Thank you, Susan, this bubble wrap will be recycled for my upcoming move and your cookies arrived in perfect condition.
What a perfect dinner, after a ten-hour drive, to celebrate my safe arrival back in Colorado: a glass of wine (or, 2 or 3) and two of Susan’s Giant Ginger Snap cookies. Lucky me.
My Valentine cookie box was waiting for me last Friday when I arrived in Aspen after a ten-hour road trip. Susan, a talented chef and baker who blogs at The Little French Bakery and runs a cooking school in North Freedom, Wisconsin, had baked Giant Ginger Snaps for me. Be still my heart. I am sharing her recipe with you at the end of my blog. Thank you, Susan, for the absolutely scrumptious cookies.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Grandma” There is nothing about my family that isn’t thoughtful. The first thing to pop up on my computer this morning was this long-distance Valentine, filling our now-widened gap between California and Colorado with Love.
Giant Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
2 Cups Vegetable Oil
4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Molasses
4 Eggs, room temperature
8 Cups A-P Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoon EACH, Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Ginger
Granulated Sugar for Rolling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients until a soft dough forms. Roll into balls the size that is slightly larger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball. Roll in granulated sugar. Set balls on parchment-lined baking sheet. Press slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff, then flatten out. The crinkles will brown slightly. Bake less for chewy and more for a snap!
Makes 3 to 4 dozen but recipe can be easily cut in half.
Susan Holding, The Little French Bakery
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mary!! Great post! Love the beautiful cookies you received, but mostly I love your beautiful granddaughters! That picture would make my whole day!!
giant is right! 🙂 what a lovely treat for a road trip!
I think ginger snaps are my favorite cookie ever. Lucky you!
How funny, Mary, Susan was my Secret Valentine! And, she liked my cookies! And, I got Ginger Snaps, too! LOL!
The photo of your granddaughters is TOO cute!
Wishing you much love & happiness! xoxo
Awwww 🙂
Mailing cookies is scary. The post office clerk and I had a very long discussion about cookie mailing. (Fortunately, she was gentle with my box while I was watching)
Those gingersnaps look heavenly – one of my top ten favorite cookie types.
Ginger Snap cookies are soo good:) What a perfect cookie for Valentine’s Day.
Love the cookies and love the girls… how adorable! 🙂
Get out–gingersnap recipe with oil? Really? That is great. I’m going to try them. I love you and your Doristas!!!!
And, I love you, Miss Melissa Myers Place.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, and that they arrived to meet you in Colorado. I’m so glad they arrived in cookies rather than crumbles. <3
Aren’t her cookies the best? We sell them here at work and people just love them! Your granddaughters are adorable – the one on the left looks like you! Happy Valentine’s Day Mary!
Thank you for saying that Clara looks like me, Maggie. I have forwarded your comment on to Clara’s Mother who does not think Clara looks like me. I have no idea where Emma, the blonde wonder woman, came from.
The cookies look delicious and the girls are growing into such lovely young women. Happy Valentine’s Day Mary! Great Blog as usual!
This was SO fun!!! You sent to Betsy and Betsy sent to me 🙂 And I LOVE the giant molasses cookies from Susan…I must bake these, too!!! Off to see if your cookies made it to Betsy 🙂
PS…you have the sweetest grand daughters…and loved the V-Day greeting that arrived in the mail today 🙂 xo
Giant Ginger Snaps! This cookie exchange is filled with amazing cookies. I haven’t seen one that I don’t want to make for myself. Thank you again for the delicious cookies. Regardless of what your post office guy did, the cookies arrived here in perfect condition. I think you’ve seen the pictures to prove it! Happy Valentine’s Day, Mary!
What fabulous looking cookies – and man, that is serious bubble wrap. Love the photo of the girls sending you a heart – bless. Hope you had a lovely Valentines Day.
Your cookies look great but those girls take the show. How precious is that!
What delicious-looking cookies! I enjoyed the Christmas card exchange so much, but when I saw the post about the Valentine cookies I was still reeling from all the Christmas baking and then promptly forgot about it. It is a wonderful idea and bless Alice for being the wonderful organizer that she is. What a perfect way to spread some love!