The dough is pleasantly easy to work with for children and parents alike: it won't stick or tear when you roll it out. Dress the finished cookies up with a quick cookie glaze, colored sugars or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Makes about 80 cookies (2- to 3-inch)

ACTIVE TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours 35 minutes (including 2 hours chilling time)

3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white vinegar

1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter, oil and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, molasses and vinegar; beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be very soft. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat several baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
3. Working with one portion of dough at a time, on a floured surface, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies using cookie cutters. Gather scraps and reroll. Using a spatula, place the cookies 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Bake the cookies, one batch at a time, until puffed but still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per cookie: 65 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 41 mg sodium.

TIP: Tools for decorating:
For easy decorating, you'll want to have on hand regular or disposable pastry bags and tips, white and dark chocolate and a variety of cookie cutters, colored sugars and food coloring.



Sources
Cookie decorating items: Kitchen Krafts (www.kitchenkrafts.com, 800-776-0575) has a wide array of cookie cutters, edible glitters, cookie stencils, dragees and sanding sugars. Similar items, as well as toasted coconut and cookie molds, stamps and cutters, can be found in The Baker's Catalogue of King Arthur Flour (www.bakerscatalogue.com, 800-827-6836).

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. | Equipment: Cookie cutters

RELATED RECIPES: A Quick Cookie Glaze | Ida's Mandelbrot | Patti's Holiday Chocolate Delights | No-Bake Cookies | Poppy Seed Thumbprints | Chewy Chocolate Cookies | Leslie Malcoun's Pecan Tartlets | Chewy Chocolate Brownies

My family loved them!

Anonymous, NJ

We loved these and so did everyone we gave them too. The only problem I had was that the dough started out a little too dry so I had to add a little extra oil before rolling it out. Other than that excellent flavor and they freeze well too.

Julie, Tempe, AZ