Categories: Cookies 
      Yield: 24 servings 
  
      1 c  Butter (or margarine)               1 ts Ginger 
    2/3 c  Brown sugar                       1/2 ts Ground cloves 
    2/3 c  Corn syrup and/or molasses        3/4 ts Baking soda 
      4 c  Flour                               1    Egg; lightly beaten 
  1 1/2 ts Cinnamon                        1 1/2 ts Vanilla extract 
  
    In a saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook and stir 
    over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Pour into large mixing bowl; cool 
    5 minutes. Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. 
    Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture; mix well. Add flour mixture; beat 
    til well mixed. Divide dough in half, cover and chill 2 hours or 
    overnight. For each bear, shape dough into one 1-inch ball, one 3/4-inch 
    ball, six 1/2-inch balls and one 1/4-inch ball. On ungreased cookie sheet 
    flatten the 1-inch ball to 1/2" thickness for body. Attach the 3/4-inch 
    ball for head and flatten to 1/2" thickness. Attach the 1/2-inch balls 
  for 
    arms, legs and ears. Attach the 1/4-inch ball for nose. Bake at 350 
    degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, cool and decorate. I usually make these 
    smaller than described here; about 1/2 the size. Also, the ears start to 
    look like MOUSE ears if they're not a little smaller than the arms and 
    legs. Roll the nose ball to make it more oval in shape and place it on 
  the 
    LOWER half of the bear's face. These can be decorated with any icing-- I 
    use tinted Royal icing made from meringue powder to add eyes, nose and 
  bow 
    tie to each bear. For Easter, make these into bunnies. Use only light 
  corn 
    syrup, no molasses. Substitute white sugar for the brown sugar. Omit 
    spices and add a bit of almond extract if desired. Make them the same 
  way, 
    but make two long ears on the top and two cheek-balls instead of the 
    nose-ball. Decorate with pastel icings.       Karen Mintzias TCVC49A