RECIPE : Gingerbread Cookies

Cream together:
2 sticks butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar

Beat in:
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses (HINT: Spray cooking oil on your measuring spoon so the molasses slides off.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In another bowl, whisk together:
1 tablespoons baking powder
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing to incorporate well after each addition. DO NOT REFRIGERATE DOUGH. Roll out to a thickness of ¼ to ⅜ inch. Cut out your cookie shapes and transfer cookie to prepared cookie sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees in the upper third of the oven for 10 minutes.

Wait a couple of minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack.

DECORATING NOTE: You can put sprinkles, colored sugars, and dragées on the cookies before baking, or you can ice the cookies after baking (and cooling) and add the decorations then.

E-Z ICING

Whisk together:
2 teaspoons dried egg whites
2 tablespoons water

Add:
1¼ cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon extract (or peppermint, coffee, coconut, vanilla . . . )

Stir until smooth.

Apply decorations right after icing the cookies, because the icing will dry hard and quickly. Store unused icing in a covered container.