"first" Ginger Molasses Cookies

Displaying a Christmas nativity scene is a long-standing tradition, but it can also present a bit of a skewed view of the actual events of Jesus’ birth. While each person depicted in a traditional nativity scene is a part of the Christmas story, not all the characters were present in one place on the night Jesus was born. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were in a stable that night due to the overcrowding in Bethlehem’s inn (Luke 2:7), but the Bible never mentions whether or not animals were present—in fact, it never even mentions a stable. The shepherds, once told of Jesus’ arrival, left their flocks to worship the newborn King (Luke 2:16). However, the angels, which are often part of nativity scenes, bore the good news to the shepherds in the fields (Luke 2:8–14). As far as we know, there were no angels flying visibly over the place where Jesus was when the shepherds arrived. In addition, the wise men (the Bible never says how many there were) were also probably not present that first night. The magi visited Jesus some time later, when He was in a house (Matthew 2:1–11).

Unknown Author

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Eggs		Cookies, Desserts	72	Servings

INGREDIENTS

30		Min – Work Time
1		Hr + chilling – Total Time
2 1/2	c	Flour
2	t	Ground ginger
1	t	Cinnamon
2	t	Baking soda
1/2	t	Salt
12	T	Unsalted Butter, marg/short
		At room temp
1	c	Brown sugar
1		Egg
1/3	c	Molasses
		Sugar for rolling

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine flour, spices, soda, & salt. With an electric mixer at
medium-low speed, beat butter & sugar, until light & fluffy. Beat in
egg & molasses. Reduce speed to low, & gradually add flour mixture
until just mixed. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Heat oven to 350~.
Shape dough into approximately 1" balls, roll in sugar, & place about
2 " apart on a baking sheet. Bake until the edges begin to brown,
about 15 min. Cool on baking sheet 2 min, then move to wire racks.
Cool completely. Submitted By MARY LOU KAKANOWSKI MSG#: 2605 From:
Dale Shipp Date: 07-26-96 Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #246  Date:
Sun, 8 Sep 1996 23:50:46 -0400  From: BobbieB1@aol.com

A Message from our Provider:

“Let Him therefore send and do what He will. By His grace, if we are His, we will face it, bow to it, accept it, and give thanks for it. God’s Providence is always executed in the ‘wisest manner’ possible. We are often unable to see and understand the reasons and causes for specific events in our lives, in the lives of others, or in the history of the world. But our lack of understanding does not prevent us from believing God. #Don Fortner”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 33 Calories From Fat: <1 Total Fat: <1g Cholesterol: 2.6mg Sodium: 53.6mg Potassium: 32.9mg Carbohydrates: 7.5g Fiber: <1g Sugar: 4.1g Protein: <1g