SOFT GINGER BREAD
Traditional gingerbread, soft and chewy

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup water (boiling)
1 cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 3/4 cups white flour
2 eggs (large)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup diluted milk (1/8 cup milk and 1/8 cup water)

Preheat oven to 350

Cream together the butter and sugar in bowl big enough to hold the entire recipe.

Dissolve the baking soda in 1 cup boiling water. Add that mixture, and the molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and flour to the butter-sugar cream. Mix only until moistened and evenly distributed.

Lightly beat the eggs, then add them to the bowl and beat the complete mixture well.

Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch shallow baking pan (or a 10-inch round casserole dish). Pour the mixture into the dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a poked toothpick comes out clean.

Mix the powdered sugar and the diluted milk together to form an icing, and brush on to the gingerbread.

Serve warm!

You can make a refreshing variation on this basic recipe by replacing 1 cup of the flour with whole-wheat flour, reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup, and increasing the molasses to 1 1/4 cups.