Recipes from The Boat Galley: Ginger Snaps
By Carolyn Shearlock
I didn’t just learn to sail at age 12—I earned my unlimited powerboat license that same summer and got a Sunfish of my own for Christmas. My name was on the title, and from that point on, I always had a boat.
Over the years I’ve raced Y-Flyers, lived aboard a Tayana 37 cruising Pacific Mexico and Central America, and later spent ten years exploring the Florida Gulf Coast, Keys, and Bahamas with my husband.
These cookies have been with me for all these adventures. I first tasted them on the final day of that childhood sailing class, when our instructor handed out certificates… and a plate of ginger snaps. His mom, he explained, always made them when their family took the boat out on Lake Michigan—ginger was supposed to help with seasickness, and the recipe was easy to make without a mixer. I asked for the recipe on the spot.
I baked my first batch just days later—and I’ve been making them ever since. They were the first thing ever baked on a boat, during a weekend trip on Lake Huron with my Explorer Scout Post. Years later, I made them on our first big charter with friends in the British Virgin Islands. They were such a hit, I had to make them again and again before the week was out.
Now they’re part of my boat life. Whether I’m prepping for a passage or just want something sweet on hand, I keep coming back to this recipe. They’re simple, sturdy, and taste even better the next day—if they last that long. Perfect to make at home and bring aboard… or mix up right in the galley.
Ginger Snaps
Total Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes each batch, plus time to cool the cookie sheet
Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar or additional white sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour—can use up to half whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Extra sugar to sprinkle over top
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Mix oil, sugars, molasses, egg and vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients separately in small bowl so that soda and spices are evenly distributed, then mix dry ingredients into sugar mix.
Make into 1” balls (mixture will be soft) and place 3” apart on greased cookie sheet (as they bake, cookies will become 3” flat circles). Sprinkle sugar over each cookie.
Bake 9 minutes at 375° F. Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before moving to a wire rack or plate.
Note: This recipe also appears in The Boat Galley Cookbook, my collection of over 800 boat-friendly recipes and cooking tips for life afloat.
