Ginger thins

The Joy of Cooking (1985 printing) is my go-to book for cookie recipes. These have intrigued me since I was 12, when I got my own copy. They were a pain in the butt to make, because I hate doing anything that requires repetition and fine muscle control. Knitters should have no problems with these, though. :) And they were so good...I hope I forget the annoyance before next cookie season!

This recipe says it makes "about 300 quarter-sized cookies". I didn't count; I filled three cookie sheets three or four times. The finished cookies filled two quart-sized containers, and then some.

Cream:
3/4 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c molasses

Sift together:
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp each cloves, cinnamon, and ginger (or add more ginger and some black and red pepper for more kick)

Combine all ingredients to make a sticky dough. Put into a pastry tube (or improvise one out of a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) and put tiny dots onto a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper). The dots should be about 1/4" in diameter; the cookies will spread a lot when baked. You're aiming for something between the size of a nickel and a quarter when they're done. Bake at 325 for 5-6 minutes. Let cool and crisp up, and don't store them with any other kind of cookies or they'll go soft.