Ingredients
-
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
-
3/4 cup granulated sugar
-
1/2 cup shortening
-
1/4 cup molasses
-
2 eggs
-
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-
2 cups all-purpose flour (although if you want to make cookie cutter shapes, have an extra cup on hand)
-
1 teaspoon baking soda
-
1 teaspoon baking powder
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1 teaspoon ground ginger
-
1 teaspoon cinnamon
-
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-
red sugar crystals or powdered sugar, to decorate.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Cream together sugars, shortening, molasses, eggs, and vanilla & beat with a mixer until smooth & uniform.
- Add remaining dry ingredients (except decoration items), scraping the bowl as you go.
- If you choose to make round drop cookies, use the batter as is and scoop out with a TBSP cookie scoop onto greased pan, about 2-3 inches apart.
- If you want to make cookie cutter shapes, add extra flour to the bowl 1/4 cup at a time until dough is stiff and clears the side of the bowl. Roll out on a heavily floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thick & cut with the cutters. Then place onto greased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. (These bake best with only one or two sheets in at a time. If you are making a lot, use two "shifts" of two cookies sheets.).
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. This will prevent the bottom of your cookies from sinking through the spaces in the rack.
- Sprinkle with decorative sugar while still slightly warm.