Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 drops red food color

Heat oven to 400º. Beat powdered sugar, butter and vinegar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients except food color. Divide dough in half. Mix food color into one half. (If dough is too dry, stir in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.)
Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into heart shapes with various sizes of cookie cutters. Place smaller hearts on larger hearts of different color dough if desired. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Decorate with white and pink Frosting (see recipe) if desired.


Frosting Recipe
Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk OR 2 tablespoons half-and-half
Food coloring, if desired

Stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk or half-and-half until smooth and spreadable. This recipe makes enough to frost 3 to 5 dozen cookies. Add more milk for a thinner frosting or to create a glaze. Frosting can be tinted with food color. Stir in liquid food color, 1 drop at a time, until frosting is the desired color. If intense, vivid frosting color is desired, use paste food color. Why? Because you would have to use too much liquid color to get vivid color, and using too much liquid color will break down the frosting, causing it to separate and look curdled.

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