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1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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2
Beat shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in molasses.
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3
Sift baking soda, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon and flour together in a large bowl. Stir this mixture plus water into the sugar and shortening mixture, alternately adding the water and baking soda mixture to the shortening mixture.
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4
Stir until mixed thoroughly and refrigerate 6-8 hours.
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5
Cut dough into three equal pieces, knead each piece lightly and then use a rolling pin to roll out each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness.
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6
Use holiday cookie cutters made in the shapes of gingerbread people and houses to cut shapes out of the dough.
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7
Use a medium- to large-sized drinking straw or the end of a wooden chopstick to make a hole at the top of each shape. *Tip: make sure to really make a sizable hole (bigger than you think you need), as these do puff up in the cooking process, making the hole shrink.
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8
Put cookies on cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn oven off and allow cookies to cool in the oven. This will help harden the cookies.
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9
Place cookies on racks to completely harden. Place racks in a cool, dry place and let sit for two to three days.
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10
Coat cookies with clear acrylic or varnish and allow cookies to dry thoroughly.
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11
Paint cookies with acrylic paints as desired. Allow paint to dry thoroughly.
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12
Thread a 5- to 6-inch length of narrow ribbon or cording through the hole at the top of each ornament. You may have to use a toothpick to chip a little bit of cookie out of the hole if it has closed up a bit, before threading with ribbon. Knot ends and hang ornaments.
