Soft Ginger Cookies

July 8, 2020

Soft ginger cookies, originally made by Andrea’s grandmother (Lianne’s great-grandmother), have now touched five generations of their Anishinaabe family. What follows are mother and daughter memories of the importance of centering family traditions and honouring previous generations.

Andrea:

Our family has shared these cookies for as long as I can remember. My grandmother made these at Christmas and I loved them so much. After my Grandma had difficulty making them, my mother took over. She made them until she began to have difficulty. I then took over and continued after my mother passed away.

My Dad's eyes used to light up when I would bring them to him, as they reminded him of Mom. After my Dad passed away, I continued making them so that my children and grandchildren would have special memories as I have had. So far, I can still make them. I am sure that my daughter will carry on when I have difficulty. When we have these cookies at Christmas, I feel so much love for what I have had in my life, what I continue to have and what I will have in the future. There is nothing like family and sharing food with each other.

Lianne:

These cookies have always been a part of our family’s holiday traditions. Christmas Eve brought a familiar rhythm of “midnight” mass, which often took place earlier in the evening, followed by sharing food and laughter. Nookomis (my grandmother) used to hand out the presents under the tree, as Santa had come and gone while we were at church. As I got older, I started paying more attention to the food that was loved and in demand from our large family: the cookies my aunt would bring, the meat pies my grandmother would make, and my mother’s stuffed mushrooms. Nookomis would make these ginger cookies, too, and I should note that she did so by hand, making the physical act of mixing such heavy ingredients all the more impressive as she got older. My grandmother loved having her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren around, and this often centered around food, be it Sunday dinner or larger holiday meals.

My grandmother copied out her mother’s recipe years ago to pass it down to my mom soon after she got married. As I looked at that hand-written recipe, ready to type it out, I was struck by her familiar handwriting. She has been gone for several years, and yet that picture brought back memories of countless birthday cards and notes. The recipe itself shows the telltale marks of love and use. Tape now covers up rips, there are a few holes in the paper from being folded and put away to be taken out again the next year.

Since the birth of my daughter in 2016, I have hosted my parents for our holiday celebration, which has changed somewhat, while still emphasizing the importance of food and family. My partner makes the meat pie, trying a different recipe every year. My daughter gets to open one gift on Christmas Eve. As my mom says above, she is still capable of mixing the cookies herself and brings them (and the stuffed mushrooms) with her on her seven hour drive to our house. I have started to ask my mom if she needs help, and I am grateful that so far, she is still perfectly capable of lovingly mixing those ingredients by hand.

As COVID kept a lot of the world apart, I often found myself thinking about the holidays -- a time of gathering to share food and laughter. Since I am not much of a baker myself, I have always seen it as being intimately tied with taking care of others and visiting. As these activities have, by necessity, taken on a different shape these last few months, I am hopeful that we can return to our traditions and share them again in person this December.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup soft shortening
1 1/4 cups cooking molasses
2 eggs
1 cup thick sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour

1. Mix: sugar, shortening, molasses, eggs and sour cream.

2. Sift dry ingredients together and mix into first mixture thoroughly.

3. Chill until firm.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees and drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet.

5. Bake 8-10 minutes.

6. Makes approximately 9 dozen.

Andrea’s note: To maintain the soft texture, be sure to store them in a sealed container after cooling.

Andrea (Lewis) Leddy is a member of Serpent River First Nation and lives in Elliot Lake, ON.

Dr. Lianne Leddy is an associate professor of Indigenous Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and a member of Serpent River First Nation. She grew up in Elliot Lake and now lives in Waterloo, ON.