Ginger Icebox Cookies

Christmas baking is the order of this week I think.  I want to bake a lot of the old favourites, like sugar cookies, and shortbread, and these ginger icebox cookies, but I'm also going to try some totally different cookies/treats too.  I'm going to adapt a basic butter cookie recipe to incorporate my homemade raspberry jam somehow (not 100% sure what I want to do yet), and I've also promised some people that I'd attempt some peppermint patties.  So I apologies to my hubby in advance if he doesn't get any 'food' this week, just cookies to live on! :)

Ginger Icebox Cookies
makes 35-40

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

• in a small bowl combine the flour, ginger and salt and mix well; set aside.
• in an electric stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• add the egg until incorporated, and then add the molasses and mix well.
• mix in the dry ingredients and blend to form a stiff dough.
• divide the mixture into 2 'logs', approximately 2-3 inch diameter and wrap each log in wax paper.  Refrigerate for 2 hours to harden dough.  (The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze and you can have fresh baked cookies whenever you want them :)
• when ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F.
• remove one of the logs from the fridge and slice into 1/8 inch thick cookies; place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are beginning to brown.
• transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 Ginger Icebox Cookie ingredients.

cream together the butter and sugar.

the mixture turns a wonderful colour when the molasses is added.

once you've added the dry ingredients, form the dough into 2 'logs' and wrap in wax paper.

slice the dough into 1/8 inch thick cookies.

place the cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets - because the dough is cold they won't spread very much, if at all.

bake until the edges are just browning.

and enjoy! :)