Holiday Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Greeny4444's Note:

This recipe is from my sister-in-law's mother, who was kind enough to share her recipe. I make these every Christmas, and my family looks forward to them every year. The yield depends on the type of cookie cutters you use (I estimated, based on 1 1/2"-size cookies). You can also substitute half brown sugar for half of the granulated sugar (which I do sometimes), if you'd like.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 30

Yield: 70.0 cookies

• 1 cup butter , softened (2 sticks)
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients with a hand mixer.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. Combine the dry mixture into the wet mixture, until incorporated.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Roll flat (to about 1/4" thick), and cut into desired shapes. It does help a bit if you chill the dough for about 30 minutes first, but I hardly ever do!
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes, depending on size and thickness of cutout shapes.
7. Cool on a wire rack, and decorate as desired.