9 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
1 cup sugar
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon anise oil
7 ½ cups sifted flour
9 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Icing
1 cup powder sugar
¼ cup melted butter
Add enough *Anisette to whip smooth
Beat eggs until thick - lemon colored
Add oil gradually, then sugar, milk, vanilla, and anise oil
Beat 5 minutes longer
Add in sifted dry ingredients gradually
Turn dough out on floured board and knead until smooth
Cut off enough dough to roll into a ½ inch thick rope about 9 inches long
Cut this rope into three equal parts and place on prepared cookie sheet
Continue this process until all the dough has been used
Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for 10 minutes or until delicately brown
Cool on wire rack. When cool, top with a thin coating of icing, add sprinkles while icing is wet.
*Anisette is an Italian liquor which can be purchased at any liquor store
Santa’s Favorite Gingerbread Cookies
Makes several cookies
¼ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar/ or ½ cup palm sugar
½ cup molasses (preferably dark)
3 ½ cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
Beat butter, sugar and molasses until creamy in a large bowl. Sift dry ingredients together and add in thirds to the wet ingredients, adding up to ¼ cup water as you beat in the flour.
Roll the dough out to about ¼ to ½ inch thick on a greased cookie sheet. This works best so you won’t have to move the dough once you cut out your cookie. Tip: grease the inside of your cookie cutter. When Stan Raindear first made this cookie, he would form the boys and girls by hand, later he used a heavy paper pattern, greased one side of the pattern and cut around the outline with a sharp knife. He then removed the scraps of dough, kneaded them together and made more gingerbread boys and girls until all the cookie dough was used up.
Decorate using your imagination.
These cookies will get harder the longer they are exposed to air. To speed this process up, return them to the oven after they are cooled for a few minutes longer. Be careful not to burn them.
Ho ho ho!
About the Author:
Mary Leo looks at the world with a touch of irony and humor, which comes across in her writing. She grew up on the mean streets of South Chicago in the tangle of a big Italian family trying to make their way out of poverty and corruption. Because of this colorful beginning, she brings a touch of edginess to her characters that makes them come alive. Whenever you pick up a book written by Mary Leo, not only will you laugh and sometimes cry, you’ll experience the love of strong family ties.
Mary gives workshops on the craft of writing, and on the writer’s life. She has worked as an intern at Paramount Studios, and as a script reader at Sony Pictures. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, author Terry Watkins, and their cat, Sophie, who thinks she’s a dog and loves to fetch. Visit Mary at www.maryleo.net
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Thank you for purchasing and reading this Books We Love eBook. We hope you have enjoyed your reading experience. Books We Love and the author would very much appreciate you returning to the online retailer where you purchased this book and leaving a review for the author. Best Regards and Happy Reading, Jamie and Jude