Gingerbread Cookies

Wet Ingredients:

0.5 cup margarine

0.5 cup sugar

0.5 cup molasses

1 egg yolk

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups flour

0.5 tsp salt

0.5 tsp baking powder

0.5 tsp baking soda

0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

0.5 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions (Day 1):

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together; reduce clumps as much as possible.

2. Cream all of the wet ingredients together in an electric mixer, the sugar and margarine first then add the molasses and egg after it gets smooth.

3. Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the wet mixture until fully blended.

4. Split the dough into two portions and wrap each in wax paper and refrigerate overnight.

Directions (Day 2):

5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Roll the dough out to about 0.25 inches thick and use whatever cookie cutter you like and place on baking sheet.

7. Bake at 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until firm.

8. Let them cool overnight.

Directions (Day 3):

9. Apply icing to cookies as desired.  Royal icing in a piping bag works well.

Notes
This dough can be difficult to work with, depending on the viscosity of your molasses.

 If you use a moist molasses (my preference), you will definitely want to use parchment paper, and probably flour if you're going to roll them.  I find it easier in this case to take a scoop of the gingerbread and form it into the cookie cutter on the parchment, rather than attempt to roll and cut them in the traditional manner.

If you use a dry molasses, the dough will be very crumbly and will not roll well either. In this case you will need to work the dough with your hands to cause it to clump into cookies instead of crumbs. 

The recipe as-written is geared towards the median molasses, not too moist, not too dry.