Gingerbread Cookies

This dough is so easy to work with, you can roll the cookies out immediately (you don't have to regrigerate dough before rolling it out like a lot of other rolled-out shaped cookies). I used to make them frequently until I married Kim and he doesn't really like gingerbread.

1 cup molasses

1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Bring molasses and shortening to a boil in medium saucepan. Blend in baking soda and water (it will foam). Add sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend in flour, cloves, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Roll out and cut out while still warm. The dough is easy to work with--you don't need flour as you roll it out.  

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes for cookies to eat or 10-12 minutes for cookies to make a house.