Holiday Tasting Party Recipes

RECIPE NAME: CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter, softened 2 Tablespoons cocoa
¾ cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg 1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup dark molasses 1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder

HOW TO MAKE THIS:
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then molasses. Sift together remaining ingredients and stir in, mixing until well blended. Chill one hour.
On a floured surface, roll out dough until 1/16-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 7 minutes. Remove from sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack. Decorate as desired. Makes about 4 dozen, two-inch or two dozen large cookies.
When cookies are cool, decorate with your favorite icing.
Cookies can be used as “ornaments” and hung on a Styrofoam cone or tree. To do this, make a hole at the top of each cookie before baking so that you can thread a ribbon or wire for hanging the cookie.

MY TIP:
Make cookies in a variety of shapes – bells, stars, stockings, gingerbread men, trees, etc. Make the ornaments more interesting by using Sugar Cookie dough to make some of the cookies; they can be tinted with food coloring if desired.

MY NAME: Kathy Butler