Ingredients

• Cookies
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup sour cream


• Icing
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In an electric mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and molasses and mix again until blended, stopping once to scrape sides and bottom of bowl to incorporate all ingredients.

Sift flour together with baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger and cream of tartar. Add alternately to electric mixing bowl with sour cream. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Lay a sheet of waxed paper on your work area, then dust waxed paper lightly with flour. Roll out cookie dough on top of waxed paper to about 1/4 inch thick, lightly rubbing some flour onto rolling pin as needed to prevent rolling pin from sticking to cookie dough.

Cut out cookie rounds using a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. (Tip: Before cutting each cookie, dip cookie cutter into flour to prevent it from sticking to cookie dough. Carefully lift cut cookie circles with a thin metal spatula (also dipped in flour before each use), and transfer to a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-17 minutes or just until cookies appear done (for moistest cookies, do not overbake!). Allow baked cookies to rest for about 1 minute, then transfer carefully with a thin metal spatula to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cookies have completely cooled, frost with Icing (recipe follows) by dipping tops of cookies into icing, allowing excess to drip off before placing on a tray to harden. Allow to sit at room temperature until icing hardens. Place cookies in a cookie jar with a small sheet of waxed paper placed in between each row of cookies to prevent sticking. Once icing has completely hardened (likely hours later or the next day), waxed paper will not be needed and may be removed.


Place all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until completely blended and smooth.