Iced Ginger Cookies

I was in the holiday mood again today, so I decided to make some ginger cookies. I made some gingerbread men, as well as some trees and some bells. I used a very basic recipe that makes quite sturdy cookies, which withstand decorations, and can even be made into hanging ornaments. The dough was firm and easy to roll out. It also did not require refrigeration time before rolling, which saved some time. I decided to decorate my cookies with red and green piping. Here is the recipe, from Company's Coming "Cookies".

Rolled Ginger Cookies
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup water
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
decorations

In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add molasses and water. Mix in remaining ingredients.

Roll out on lightly floured board. Cut dough into shapes. For ornaments, make hole 1/2 inch from top edge using drinking straw. Arrange on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 350◦F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cook thicker cookies a bit longer. Makes about 2 dozen.

Decorations: The recipe recommends brushing the tops of the cooled cookies with warm corn syrup, and applying decorations. The glaze will stay sticky for about thirty minutes. Decorating the cooled cookies with icing also works.
These cookies can also be decorated before baking. Just press sprinkles, colored sugar, or candy-coated chocolates into the cookies before baking.

Paré, Jean. "Rolled Ginger Cookies." Recipe. Cookies, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1989. 92-93.