Something about the holidays just cries out for ginger. Ginger wasn't one of those three weirdo spices the Wise Men brought the Baby Jesus, but it should have been! 

 

(And what the heck are you going to do with myrrh, anyway? According to Wikipedia, myrrh smells like camphor, and among other things is used in Chinese Traditional Medicine to treat uterine tumors. Just the thing to give a newborn baby!)

 

Gingersnaps are one of my favorite cookies, particularly the ultra-thin, Norwegian style cookies sold under the "Anna's Cookies" brand. One common use for ginger is in settling an upset stomach, and if that's the excuse you need to snack on a few gingersnaps during this season of chronic overindulgence, I for one will be happy to look the other way. (As long as you leave me a few.)

 

Gingersnaps are an excellent addition to any holiday cookie assortment, because they keep well. Unlike many other cookies, they don't go soft and stick to each other, or start sweating unattractively at room temperature. (I'm looking at you, lemon bars.) This makes them a good choice to bring to the office Christmas party. I have found that in any crowd of people, there is at least one person who goes nuts over them.

 

One of the best uses of gingersnaps during the holiday baking season is as a crumb crust. Instead of using graham crackers to make the crumb crust for your cheesecake, substitute an equal amount of gingersnaps. 

 

They can be a little more difficult to crush than graham crackers, but it's a good excuse to get out some frustrations with the rolling pin. I also find that you can start the process more easily if you stack 5-10 cookies and give them a strong vertical tap.

 

Extra gingersnap crumbs are an excellent crunchy topping for vanilla ice cream, peach cobbler, and other sweet holiday desserts. They can also be substituted for peanuts in chocolate sundaes. (Check the allergen warnings on the cookies before substituting them for a peanut allergy. Many cookies are manufactured in facilities that also process nuts.)

 

Gingersnaps also hold up well in decorative uses. Their round shape makes them excellent to overlap as roofing tiles on a gingerbread house, to lay out as paving stones in your mock yard, or as wheels on a gingerbread train. 

 

And finally, if you are serving a sweet soft cheese (like this raspberry yogurt cheese, or a baked brie with jam), gingersnaps make an excellent scooper. The sweet version of nacho chips, if you will!