Chilled Gingerbread Man Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shortening
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cloves or allspice
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup molasses
• 3 cups flour, sifted
• 1 tsp soda
• ½ tsp baking powder

Method

1. 1 Cream together shortening, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
2. 2 Add molasses and blend. Sift together flour, soda, and baking powder, then add to the molasses mixture.
3. 3 Stir well and chill the dough.
4. 4 Roll out a fourth of the dough at a time on a floured board to a little more than 1/8 inch thick.
5. 5 Cut with gingerbread man cutters or other shapes.
6. 6 Bake on greased cookie sheets in a moderately hot (375°F) oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool before decorating.