Thursday evening found David and I, in full Christmas spirit, busily making our first batch of gingerbread cookies. We had just finished mixing up the dough when David peeked in the bowl, noticed it was sticky, and remarked, “I think we need another half cup of flour!” Looking at the recipe, I saw to my amazement that it read: “add up to one half cup additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking”. Wow! David is a natural chef!

As soon as the dough was ready, the cookie-cutting crew came. Unsatisfied with with the limitations of the cookie cutters and overflowing with artistic creativity, Donald, Michael, James, Daniel, Jonathan, David and I set to work creating original gingerbread men (and women!). The amount of dough that secretly disappeared in the process goes to show how tasty this recipe is.

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine, melted
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup molasses
4 cups stone-ground or unbleached flour unsifted

Combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Add the melted margarine, evaporated milk, and molasses. Mix well. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to fingers. Knead the dough for a smoother texture. Add up to ½ cup additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. (We ended up adding a whole other cup.) When the dough is smooth, roll it out ¼ inch thick on a floured surface and cut it into cookies. Bake on floured or greased cookie sheets in a pre-heated 375° F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done if they spring back when touched.