Heirloom Gingerbread Cookies & A Black's Bakeware Giveaway

"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded 

by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers." 

— Laurie Colwin 

One of the things I love most about the holidays is the food. Now that I have little ones around, it means I get to play Santa. I'll be sure to stress how extremely important it is to leave cookies and milk for him. I'll specify, too, exactly the kinds of cookies he prefers.

Recently, I was contacted by Black's Bakeware for a product review, and thought it would be a perfect occasion to share a good recipe just in time for Christmas baking. And nothing, my friends, is more Christmas-y than gingerbread.

Thanks to Kate for sending this heirloom gingerbread recipe with me. Remember how we discussed my adoration of all things ginger? It's still going strong, so I couldn't wait to bake these cookies. They were wonderful!

Gingerbread Boys (in my case, squares)
(makes 4-5 dozen)

Ingredients:
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mild molasses
2 tablespoons vinegar
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg, molasses, and vinegar. Beat well. Sift together remaining ingredients and stir into molasses mixture. Cover and chill in refrigerator for about 3 hours (for those of you who tend to have sticky dough, this part is the most important!). Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness on floured surface. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake a 375 for 5-6 minutes or until slightly brown at edges. Cool on pan one minute, then remove to rack to cool. Use an icing of powdered sugar and milk to decorate. (I used powdered sugar and orange juice. Can also use Red Hot candies, sprinkles, etc. for decoration - just add them before baking.)

I really liked this cookie sheet. It's very thin, which is great for storage in my tiny apartment kitchen. It was easier to clean than some others I've used, and washes in the dishwasher just fine. I also love the fact that Charlie Black, the inventor, is an Army veteran- you can read more about him on the website. I've used the sheet for several other things too- homemade steak fries, bread sticks, chicken fingers, etc.- and they all baked perfectly on it.

I asked Black's if they would send me an additional cookie sheet for a giveaway, and they graciously agreed. I'm excited to be able to share one with a lucky winner. So enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway