Gingerbread Cookies

In the event that we are both invited to a cookie swap, holiday party or other festivity that requires cookies, I get first dibs on this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup firm-packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2.75 cups flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt

Directions:
Mix sugar and butter. Beat in egg and molasses. Stir in other stuff. The dough should easily roll into a ball, but can still be a bit sticky at this point. Wrap in plastic or put in a sealed container over night in the refrigerator. Do not skip this step. Cut the dough into a size that is comfortable for you to work with. I usually do well with halves, but depending on the size of your board and the height of your person, you may need to do more/less. Kneed the dough. Add flour until the dough feels like cold, dry, well-moisturized skin. Sort of like a cadaver. I’m not kidding. (If it wasn’t creepy, it wouldn’t be me.) Roll to 1/8th inch — I have no idea if this is really how thick I roll. I have never measured. I doubt any of the other women in my family have, either. It’s 1/3 - 1/2 of a fingernail. Cut shapes. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for ten minutes at 350 — longer for thicker or crisper cookies.

Try not to eat these until you get sick.