Grandmas Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

    * 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
    * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    * 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    * 1 teaspoon ground cloves
    * 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
    * 1 cup granulated sugar
    * 1 1/4 cups unsulphured molasses*
    * 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven 375°F. Thoroughly mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Melt shortening in large saucepan. Cool slightly. Add sugar, molasses and eggs; mix well. Add four cups of the dry ingredients and mix again.

Turn mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining dry ingredients by hand. Add a little more flour, if necessary, to make the dough firm. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut out cookies with Metal Gingerbread Boy and Girl Cookie Cutters.

Bake 6-10 minutes for small to medium size cookies and 10-15 minutes for large cookies.

If you're not going to use your gingerbread right away, wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate. Refrigerated dough will keep for a week, but be sure to remove it 3 hours prior to rolling so it softens and is workable.

*Substitute 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup for molasses to make Blonde Gingerbread.

Makes 40 medium-sized cookies.