Gingerbread People and Things

By Treebs

Ingredients

• 5 Cups All-purpose Flour 1 Cup Shortening
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tsp. Ground Ginger 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon 1 Cup Molasses
• 1 Tsp. Ground Gloves 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• Decorative Icing
• 1 Egg White 1 1/2-2 Cups Confectioners' Sugar Sifted
• 2 Tsp. Lemon Juice Food Coloring

Preparation

Step 1

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening until it is soft and smooth. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy. Add the egg, molasses, and vinegar. Beat well. Add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough is smooth, divide it into quarters. Wrap each portion in foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets with butter. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch. (use only one quarter of the dough ata time and keep remainder in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it). Cut dough with cookie cutters. Reroll and cut the scraps. Place the cookies on the cookie sheets. Bake for 5minutes, or until the cookies are very lightly browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the icing, in a small mixing bowl, beat the egg white, lemon juice, and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar to make icing of piping consistency. When the consistency seems right, stir in a few drops of food coloring if desired.
To decorate the cookies, fill a decorating bag no more than half full of icing. Usea tip with a small opening. First pipe outlines on the edges of the cookies, thin fill in the details.