Molasses Cookies

This recipe makes about two dozen cookies. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Put the
molasses in a large pot, and heat over a low flame. Add the butter to the
molasses and continue to heat until the butter melts. Remove from heat. Add
the vinegar and mix well. Sprinkle the soda over the mixture, and allow the
mixture to start foaming before continuing. Add the ginger and salt, then
mix well. Add the flour little by little, stirring into the mixture until
it takes on a doughy consistancy. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a greased
cookie sheet. Bake the cookies at 350 deg for 9 minutes. Notes: It’s
important to do steps 6 through 8 quickly. In step 6, the baking soda is
reacting to the vinegar in the mix, forming bubbles of carbon dioxide. If
you don’t do these steps quickly enough, then all the vinegar will have
reacted before you start baking, and your cookies will seem heavy. For more
flavorful cookies, lard (shortening) can be substituted for the butter. For
a lighter taste, use margarine.