1988 3rd Place Gloria Heeter's Best Gingerbread Cookies

Title:
1988 3rd Place Gloria Heeter's Best Gingerbread Cookies

Yield:
24 Servings

Categories:
Cookies,
Holiday




Ingredients:





     1 c  Corn oil margarine


     1 c  Molasses


     1 c  Sugar


     1    Egg


     4 c  Flour


     2 ts Baking powder


     1 ts Baking soda


     3 ts Ground cinnamon


     2 ts Ground cloves


     2 ts Ground ginger


     1 ts Ground nutmeg


          Currants, raisins, silver


          Balls and candy,


          For decoration


     1    Egg yolk mixed w/1 ts water


          Icing for decorating






  Preparation time: 25 minutes Chilling time: 8 hours or overnight Baking


 time: 7 to 10 minutes


 


   1. Beat margarine, sugar and molasses in a large mixing bowl. Add egg and


 mix well.


 


   2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves,


 ginger and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture; mix well.


 


   3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions on a large piece of plastic wrap.


 Wrap and shape into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm,


 about 8 hours, or freeze for 2 hours. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 3


 days.)


 


   4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Working with 1 disk of the dough at a time,


 roll out on a well-floured board, dusting the rolling pin as you work.


 Dough will be very soft and can be difficult to work with so work quickly


 and use plenty of flour. Using cookie cutters dipped in flour, cut into


 desired shapes. Put cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Use


 currants or candy for eyes or buttons, if desired.


 


   5. Bake until lightly puffed, 7 to 10 minutes. First batch may be puffier


 because they will have less flour rolled in them. While still warm, paint


 with egg yolk wash if desired. Cool on wire racks. Cool completely, then


 decorate as desired with icing.


 


   Icing: Mix confectioners' sugar with a small amount of water until thick


 and spreading consistency. Add food coloring if desired and put in a small


 plastic bag. Cut a small hole in one corner and drizzle icing out onto the


 cooled cookies.


 


   Note: A 4-inch gingerbread cookie cutter was used in testing.


 


   Oak Brook's Gloria Heeter is a newcomer to the Chicago area and brings


 her favorite gingerbread cookie with her from Kansas City, Kan. "About nine


 years ago, my neighbor, Diane Collins, brought them over for Halloween in


 Halloween shapes," she says. "I took out some of the egg yolks and


 substituted corn oil margarine rather than shortening, which sometimes can


 have palm oil in it." Calling them "truly a cookie for all seasons," Heeter


 once even made them for her golden retriever's first birthday party. "We


 invited the neighborhood kids in for punch and cookies-cookies shaped like


 dogbones."    At Christmas, though, "I typically print the names of each


 person on the cookies, place them in a plastic bag and decorate them with
a


 red and green ribbon," writes Heeter of her personalized gingerbread


 people. "A handmade gift is always filled with love." from the Chicago


 Tribune annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest December 8, 1988


 Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #340


 


 From: Linda Place 


 


 Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 11:32:51 +0000