1992 1st Place: Gingerbread Bears Recipe

• 31/2 c. Unsifted all-purpose flour
• 11/2 tsp Grnd ginger
• 11/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Grnd cloves
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 3/4 c. Sugar
• 1 x Egg
• 3/4 c. Light molasses
• 1 tsp Grated lemon rind
• Decorations as desired

1. Preparation Time: 35 min
2. Chilling Time: 2 hrs or possibly overnight
3. Cooking Time: 7 to 10 min
4. 1.
5. Measure 3 1/2 c. flour; sift together with spices, baking soda and salt; set aside.
6. Beat butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl till smooth.
7. Add in sugar and mix on high speed till light and fluffy, 2 min.
8. Add in egg and mix well.
9. Stop the mixer and add in molasses and lemon rind.
10. Mix on low speed to combine.
11. Stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.
12. 2.
13. Divide dough into four parts.
14. Wrap each one separately in plastic wrap and chill 2 hrs or possibly overnight.
15. 3.
16. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
17. Lightly grease baking sheets.
18. 4.
19. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator at a time.
20. Roll the well-chilled dough on a floured board or possibly between sheets of waxed paper to a 1/8-inch thickness.
21. Cut out with cookie cutters and carefully transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving 1-inch between each cookie.
22. 5.
23. Bake just till the cookies are lightly browned and set, 7 to 10 min.
24. Don't overbake.
25. Transfer from baking sheets to a wire rack and cold completely before decorating.
26. Decorate as desired.
27. Store in airtight containers.
28. Nancy Schubert of Schaumburg, Illinois took first place with these chubby little bears.
29. She uses colored sugar, little candies and a classic royal icing to decorate the bears.
30. Confectioners' sugar icing or possibly tubes of decorator icing can be also can be used.

flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, salt, butter, sugar, egg, light molasses, lemon rind

Taken from cookeatshare.com/recipes/1992-1st-place-gingerbread-bears-61418 (may not work)