Gingerbread Cookies

Yesterday evening, I met my friend Beth (what a great name!) at Barnes & Noble for chai. I arrived a little early and started browsing magazines. When Beth showed up, I had two magazines in my hand: Midwest Living and AdBusters. I think those mag choices pretty much sum up my personality: wannabe homemaker, raging liberal.

This means I want a nice home with nice things, but my anti-materialism tells me that less is oh-so-much more. This is especially true when it comes to seasonal merchandise. The evil that is The Container Store wouldn't exist if it weren't for our impulsive purchasing of fake squash, scarecrow figurines, plastic autumn leaf garlands, and the rest of the holiday crap that fills closets and Rubbermaid containers.

However, I do have one seasonal indulgence to appease the homemaker in me: cookie cutters. I have Christmas covered, stars and gingerbread people being my preferred winter shapes. The dog bone cutter is mandatory. I even have a cookie cutter with the logo of my workplace. And this week, I added to my collection with autumn leaves and acorns. Because it's fall. And I like fall. And leaves. And cookies.

So now to make the cookie dough, where to find the best recipe? Right on the back of the package, baby. Every year, I return to the Grandma's Brand Molasses gingerbread cookie recipe. Why wait until Christmas to make gingerbread cookies? Everything about this recipe is just right: the amount of sweetness, the mixture of spices, the texture of the dough for rolling out, the number of cookies it makes. Plus, that's one less random recipe card I need to store in my cupboard. Simplicity is the name of the game.

Grandma's Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

1 stick butter (8 Tablespoons)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Grandma's molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Cream together butter, sugar, and molasses. Mix in egg. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Chill dough for 2 hours. Sprinkle flat surface with flour and roll dough to preferred thickness (thick for chewy, thin for crunchy). Cut dough with cookie cutter, place on baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool and decorate, if desired.