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Yield: 3 to 4 dozen 2 1/2- to 3-inch cookies
Baking temperature:
350°F
Baking time: 10 to 12 minutes In a medium-sized bowl,
beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, baking powder, spices, and salt
until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, and beat well. Mix about half
of the flour into the butter mixture. When well combined, add the cornstarch and
the remaining flour. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half slightly,
and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer), for easiest rolling. Preheat
your oven to 350°F (375°F for Gingerbread
Cookies). Lightly grease (or line with parchment) several baking sheets. Take
one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface, and
the dough. Roll it out as thin or thick as you like; for slightly less crisp cookies,
roll it out more thickly. We roll Decorator's
Dream Cookies 1/16- to 1/8-inch thick; Light
Spice Cookies, 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick; and Gingerbread
Cookies, which we prefer a bit less crisp and more chewy, 1/4-inch thick.
Use flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the table
or rolling pin. Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a
sheet of plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles
as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need
for additional flour. For soft dough, or dough to be rolled extra-thin,
you may choose to roll right onto the ungreased back of a baking sheet. Cut
out shapes with a cookie cutter, spacing them as close to one another as possible.
After cutting cookies, carefully peel up the scrap dough between them. Set this
dough aside in a bag in the refrigerator, to be rolled again later. Transfer
cookies to greased cookie sheets (or, if you've rolled right onto the pan, remove
the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just until they're slightly
brown around the edges, or until they feel firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let the
cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer
them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Click
here for the FabulousFoods.com Cookie Decorating tutorial. | 
