Christmas Ginger Cookies

      You cannot have Christmas without Ginger Cookies! Even when dieting! Use them to trim the tree (cheap ornaments). My best memory was my two boys, when they were much younger (the younger one was about 3), dressed in sleepers, on the big kitchen island, covered in flour, decorating gingerbread men which decorated the tree. (And which they were allowed to remove one man at a time - one every day - while the tree was up. Of course I had them too!)

      Took hours to clean up the kitchen.

      Somehow that wasn't important.

Molasses Crinkles

Thick and chewy with a "cracked" top. From Betty Crocker's 1950 cookbook. If you don't have this cookbook - go get one! They reissued it! I used the 1956 one until it fell apart!

Mix thoroughly:
      3/4 Cup soft shortening (Crisco)
      1 Cup Dark brown sugar
      1 egg or egg substitute
      1/4 Cup Dark Molasses
Sift together and stir in:
      2 1/4 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
      2 teaspoons baking soda
      1/4 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon cloves
      1 teaspoon cinnamon
      1 teaspoon ginger
Chill dough. Roll into balls the size of large walnuts. (Most recipes of this nature use this measure. It's a rounded teaspoon.) Dip into white sugar. Place sugared-side up on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with 1-2 drops of water. Bake until just set - not hard. They harden up when cooled.

Temperature: 375 (quick moderate oven) about 10-12 minutes.

Gingerbread Cookies

Mix thoroughly:
      1/3 Cup soft shortening (Crisco)
      1 Cup Dark brown sugar
      1 1/2 Cup Dark Molasses
Stir in:
     1/2 Cup water
Sift together and stir in:
      6 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
      2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 3 Tablespoons COLD water
      1 teaspoon salt
      1 teaspoon cloves
      1 teaspoon cinnamon
      1 teaspoon ginger
      1 teaspoon allspice
Chill dough. Roll out very thick (1/2") and cut with a 2 1/2" round cutter. Place far apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until when lightly touched, no imprint remains. Cool on a wire rack and when cool, decorate as desired.

Temperature: 350 (moderate oven) about 15-18 minutes. Cookies should be fat and puffy.

Rolling out

Use a lot of flour on a large wooden cutting board and use your h and to sprinkle flour on top of the dough. You don't want the rolling pin sticking. You can also roll out between sheets of waxed paper - I've never liked that one. Or use a cloth-covered board and rolling pin - you still need flour. The more flour, the stiffer the dough.

Don't roll it all out at once - choose 1/3 to 1/2 or the dough and put the rest back in the refrigerator so it stays chilled.

SPEED CHILL - stick the dough in the freezer - but not long enough to freeze!

Gingerbread Men

Same as the recipe above - EXCEPT - add another cup of flour! This makes them STIFF!

Roll out VERY THICK - 1/2" and bake as above.

Decorate at will. Press raisins into the face for eyes, nose, mouth, buttons. Or use candied cherries. Or gumdrops. Or strips of candied citron.

After baking, trim with white icing. Let dry. Tie with a ribbon and hang on the Christmas tree - high enough that the dog won't get them - nor any other small creatures (kids, husbands in a nearby recliner, etc.).

Simple White Icing

Mix thoroughly:
      1 Cup sifted confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla
      1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
      1 1/2 Tablespoon of water or milk - water if the cookies will decorate a tree
      food coloring (if white is not good enough)

Using a Tablespoon of Crisco makes this a creamer and therefore more fattening icing.

If the icing is THIN - add more SIFTED confectioner's sugar. If you do not sift, it will be lumpy.

If the icing is THICK - add water - 1/4 teaspoon at a time!

If the icing is lumpy - beat with a large spoon until smooth (draft any handy man for this).

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