Gingerbread has a romantic history. Fair ladies would give elaborately decorated cookies to handsome knight, just before a tournament. Cloves give this cookie a spicy flavor and are the sweet and pungent unopened bud of an evergreen tree.

Cookies

    2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon powdered ginger
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
    1/2 cup butter
    1 cup dark brown sugar
    1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons mild molasses
    1 large egg

Decorating Icing

    3 tablespoons meringue powder
    1/3 cup warm water
    4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
    1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1.  Preheat oven to 375 .

2.  Cookies: In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt,  
     ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

3.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar; add molasses and
     egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Form into a ball with floured
     hands. If the dough seems dry, add a tablespoon of milk.

4.  Roll dough out on a well-floured board to 1/4-inch thickness.   
    Cut out shapes. To ensure a perfect cookie, press the cutter
     into the dough, then slide a sharp-edged pancake turner under
     the cutter and dough. Lift and set onto baking sheet, press out
     cookie. Bake in preheated oven 6-8 minutes.

5.  Icing: In a medium bowl, use a mixer to beat meringue
     powder, warm water, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and
     cream of tartar for 2 minutes. Add a little water if too dry.
    
     Variations: Dough may also be used to make gingerbread     
     gift tags by making a hole in each cookie with the end of a     
     straw before baking. Pipe the name of each recipient on
     cooled cookies, allow to set completely.

     Fun Christmas idea: Make a gingerbread Christmas
     cottage. Roll out dough and cut out pieces for a house. Cook
     on parchment paper.

    To decorate your edible winter wonderland, purchase: 
     peppermint sticks, jelly beans, round peppermint hard candies,   
      strawberry licorice nuggets, fruit flavored hard candies, 
    chocolate bars, coconut, spearmint leaf gummy candies and any other 
    candies you find interesting. We make a chimney on the side of the 
    house and use the jelly beans to decorate it. The chocolate bar is the 
    front door and the licorice makes nice wall bricks. Make 1 batch of 
    icing and thicken it with more confectioner's sugar until it makes 
    a nice "cement."

    Makes 2-3 dozen cookies