Molasses Cookies

This is my Great-Great-Great Aunt's (Tante Dietz's) recipe. She is German, but I am not sure where the recipe is from.

Tante Dietz collected lots of recipes. She loved to cook. She got this one from Aunt Hershbald. They have been a family favorite for at least 60 years. It used to be written, 'a pinch of this', 'a walnut-sized amount of that', etc.

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
¼ cup warm water with 1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice

Preparation:

Cream butter, sugar, molasses, and egg. Mix dry ingredients and add gradually. Add water with soda between adding dry ingredients.

Drop spoonfuls onto grease pan and bake at 350 for 5 minutes, turn the pan and bake for another 5 minutes.