Grandma's Mini Gingerbread Cookies

Preparation time: 30 minutes Chilling time: Overnight
Baking time: 10 minutes Yeild: 36 cookies

Ingredients

* 6 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 Tbsp baking powder
* 1 Tbsp ground ginger
* 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground nutmeg
* 1 tsp ground cloves
* 3/4 cup molasses
* 1 cup melted shortening
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon) in medium sized bowl.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, shortening, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla. Slowly add ingredients to wet mixture until dough is smooth. Divide dough into 4 balls -- flatten and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. Generously flour surface as dough is wet. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with mini - shaped cookie cutters placing on an ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until cookies look dry but are soft to the touch. Let cool completely before adding buttercream frosting, royal icing, icing sugars and/or other toppings.

Gingerbread Cookies will last just fine in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks. They definitely taste best when fresh, so freeze them if you want to store them for longer.

 Also see these tips from avorynothings and this Soft Gingerbread Cookie recipe here from Roaming Rosie. Happy Holidays