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1
Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until smooth.
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2
Add the sugar and mix.
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3
Add the egg and mix.
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4
Add the molasses and vanilla and mix.
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5
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together.
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6
Working in batches, and mixing just until combined after each addition, add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture.
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7
Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
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8
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 1 or 2 sheet pans.
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9
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick.
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10
Icing decorations:
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11
Stir the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth.
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12
To make snowflakes:
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13
Use a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, rerolling the scraps as needed.
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14
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make the holes in the dough about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake.
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15
Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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16
Using only white icing and a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe thin lines from the center of the cookie out to the points, like spokes of a wheel.
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17
Connect the spokes with thin lines in between them, making a spiderweb effect to make it look like a snowflake.
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18
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string or yarn for hanging.
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19
Use a dreidel cookie cutter and cut out 3 cookies.
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20
Lay 1 on a greased sheet pan.
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21
Fanning out at an angle, with the handles overlapping at the top, lay 2 more dreidels next to the first one (it will look like a paper-doll effect).
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22
The handle is now 3 layers thick; press on it gently to thin it slightly and make it larger.
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23
Repeat with the remaining dough, rerolling the scraps as needed.
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24
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make a hole in the handle about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the hole will shrink as the cookies bake.
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25
Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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26
Color some of your icing blue with food coloring, or use blue colored sugar and white icing together.
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27
Using a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, pipe Hebrew letters or stars of David on the cookies' faces.
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28
Sprinkle the sugar on the icing while the icing is still wet.
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29
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
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30
To make ornaments:
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31
Use any holiday-themed cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, rerolling the scraps as needed.
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32
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the dough about 1/8 inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake.
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33
Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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34
Meanwhile, color some of your icing in festive colors with food coloring, or use colored sugars.
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35
Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders and decorations on the cookies.
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36
When set, add more lines of icing in white.
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37
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
