The recipe I am providing here is for a sturdy, spicy, and very crisp cookie. It holds up well, and will not get soggy or stale. Follow the directions as written, practice your rolling, and make sure you have a good, airtight container. Don’t skip the dot of blue coloring in the glaze, and if you want to hang them, make the hole in the dough with a toothpick before baking. This cookie recipe can also be used to make gingerbread houses.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend until creamy:
¼ cup room temp butter
½ cup light brown sugar
Beat in:
½ cup dark molasses
Sift:
3 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. salt
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with 1⁄4 cup of water. Mix until it forms a dough that holds together when you pinch it.
To roll out: Flip your cookie sheet upside down and grease the bottom with some butter. Roll out the dough on the buttered sheet, about 1⁄4 inch thick. Cut out the cookies, and then peel away the dough from around the edges. If you want to hang the cookies, make a hole in the top center with a toothpick.
Bake them for 8 minutes, and allow them to cool a bit before removing from the cookie sheet. Store when completely cooled in an airtight tin, between sheets of parchment or wax paper.
Royal Glaze
Sift 3 ½ cups of confectioners’ sugar. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually add the sifted sugar and the juice of one lemon. Add a very small drop of blue food coloring. This makes 2 cups of glaze that dries very hard. Can be used in a piping bag or brushed on the cookies.