Yummy Food Friday

Blame it on the preggo status or on the season - I've been seriously jonesing for craving gingerbread cookies. As in, I've been wanting them for almost a week. =P I went to the commissary for our weekly food stocking Wednesday and got the few things I still needed to make the yummy cookies. Then yesterday afternoon, I got to work! And since they're so delicious, I thought I would share the recipe with you! You can thank me later. {And I promise, you will.}

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

{flour and sugar not pictured}

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves {to your liking, I use about 1 tsp each}
1 cup of butter flavored crisco
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses {Spray cooking spray on the inside of your measuring cup so that this doesn't turn out to be a giant sticky mess. Trust me, it works like a charm.}

See? It works!

1. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinammon ginger and ground cloves together. {You can also just stir with a fork. Same effect. I do it all the time.}

2. Mix the crisco, brown sugar, egg and molasses together until fluffy.

In case you're like me and wonder what exactly "fluffy" looks like. =)

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The dough will be pretty dry and thick. 

{Since I have a sad hand mixer, I do about 1/4 cup at a time.}

Finished dough.

4. Now, you can either roll them into 1 inch balls and bake them like regular cookies or you can roll them out and use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes. They taste great either way!

I use my medium Pampered Chef scoop and bake them like regular cookies. =)

5. Bake at 350° for 9-10 min.

6. Smother with cream cheese frosting and inhale.

Trust me, you need the cream cheese frosting.

These got finished baking right around the time Joe got home yesterday. He helped himself to one while I was wandering around the house and I could hear him "mmm"ing while he ate it. =) ::pats self on back:: They did turn out pretty great...if I do say so myself!! Not to mention they made my house smell a little bit like Christmas, and that is always fun!

Now, go get baking and enjoy!

Happy Friday!