Grandma Lol's Molasses Cookies
by Lois Carter Fay

Ingredients

1 cup	Butter (softened)
1 cup	Packed brown sugar
2	Eggs
1 cup	Dark molasses
1 tsp.	Vanilla extract
4½ cups	All-purpose flour
1 T.	Ground ginger
1 T.	Ground cinnamon
2 tsp.	Baking soda
1 tsp.	Salt
¼ tsp.	Ground Allspice
1 cup	Buttermilk

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, molasses and vanilla. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and allspice. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Drop by teaspoonsfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until set. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Frosting

¼ cup	Shortening
¼ cup	Butter, softened
½ tsp.	Vanilla extract
2 cups	Confectioner's sugar
¼ tsp.	Ground ginger
4 tsp.	Milk
	Colored sprinkes, optional

In a small mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread over bottom of cookies. Decorate with spinkles, if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 7½ Dozen

Why should you frost the bottom of the cookies?

Because these cookies are cake like and the bottoms are smooth and hard. If you frost the tops of the cookies, you will get crumbs in the frosting.