Recipe - Gingerbread Bears - 1992 1st Place

3 One half cup Unsifted allpurpose flour
1 One half teaspoon Ground ginger
1 One half teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Ground cloves
One fourth teaspoon Salt
One half cup Butter, softened
Three fourths cup Sugar
1 Egg
Three fourths cup Light molasses
1 teaspoon Grated lemon rind
1 Decorations as desired

Preparation time: 35 minutes Chilling time: 2 hours or overnight Cooking
time: 7 to 10 minutes

1. Measure 3 One half cups flour; sift together with spices, baking soda and
salt; set aside. Beat butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until
smooth. Add sugar and mix on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
Add egg and mix well. Stop the mixer and add molasses and lemon rind. Mix
on low speed to combine. Stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.

2. Divide dough into four parts. Wrap each one separately in plastic wrap
and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.

4. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Roll the
wellchilled dough on a floured board or between sheets of waxed paper to a
1/8inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and carefully transfer to
prepared baking sheets, leaving 1inch between each cookie.

5. Bake just until the cookies are lightly browned and set, 7 to 10
minutes. Do not overbake. Transfer from baking sheets to a wire rack and
cool completely before decorating. Decorate as desired. Store in airtight
containers.

Nancy Schubert of Schaumburg, Illinois took first place with these chubby
little bears. She uses colored sugar, little candies and a classic royal
icing to decorate the bears. Confectioners' sugar icing or tubes of
decorator icing can be also can be used. from the Chicago Tribune fifth
annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest December 3, 1992
Posted to TNT Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by ConnieJo
clonnie@eaze.net on Dec 23, 1997