GINGERBREAD MEN

Ingredients:

(a little bit of everything)

2/3 cup vegetable shortening (crisco which now comes in bars)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

Cream the vegetable shortening and sugar until smooth.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients while continuing to mix. Batter gets very thick so a stand mixer works best.

Knead mixture on a board until it forms a ball.

Roll dough out, dusting the surface with flour to prevent sticking. I roll between two pieces of extra wide plastic wrap, flipping it over during the process and dusting lightly with flour.

Cut with cookie cutters and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7-10 minutes at 375'.

To hang on tree, make a hole in head of gingerbread man before baking. Re-roll leftover dough to cut more cookies.

Recipe can be doubled and cookies freeze well.