This is a traditional, old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. They make them at Thanksgiving and then let the cookies age until Christmas, about 4-6 weeks, by storing them in stoneware crockss or jars. These cookies are also excellent to use for crust recipes.
1 cup molasses
7 ounces Brown sugar (light kind)
9 tablespoons Cocoa powder
10 ounces Butter (softened)
Pinch Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 pound White flour
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine all ingredients together, except the flour. Add in the flour gradually until it forms a dough which can be rolled out. Dough will be very soft. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4″ thickness. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters into festive Christmas shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.