Gingerbread Men (and Women!)

Gingerbread tastes great and makes the house smell wonderful as it bakes. This recipe can be used for biscuits, pretty tree decorations, or cheery gingerbread men and women to munch on.

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 4 cups flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 4 teaspoons ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except the flour. Add the flour slowly, mixing each addition thoroughly. The dough should be slightly stiff. If the mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water; if too wet, add more flour. Roll out the dough on a floured cutting board to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters shaped like little dough people to make the shapes. Place these on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes (time is only approximate). Transfer the cookies to wax paper to cool. Give your gingerbread people features by using colored frosting from a pastry tube.

(Makes about 3 dozen medium-sized cookies)

~from: Sabbats