Brer Rabbit goodness

I'm sitting here (as the wind howls outside) all warm and cozy in my new long underwear from Target having fun catching up on friends' blogs and facebook pages. And I'm thinking how incredibly dry and boring my blog has been - so I'm gonna make it moist and delicious (ok, that was gaggy, but bear with me here) by sharing my ultimate, favorite, most-wonderful fall cookie recipe. I know, I know, I just said a couple of posts ago that I hardly have any tried-and-true recipes, but that was kind of exaggerating. I have a handful of winners passed down from my momma and grandmas that I return to again and again. And most of those are seasonal recipes - make me think of fall or winter, Christmas or P-fest parade morning. :) And I thought maybe if I post some of my new recipes in the future, I'll actually remember what I've tried and what's a make again! So, try these Brer Rabbit cookies and let me know what you think. This is probably a serious breach of family loyalty and secrecy to share this, but I'm so confident you'll love 'em, it's worth it. :) (And luckily Grandma doesn't have a computer.)

Brer Rabbits

Melt 3/4 c. butter in large saucepan, remove from heat and add:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

Roll into balls and then into sugar. Bake about 7-9 min. (or until top begins to crack) at 375 degrees. Don't overbake!

They're great alone, but even better with orange buttercream frosting, we think.

Buttercream:

1/3 c. butter
4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Soften butter and add the rest. Beat until creamy. Add food coloring if you want.

These are seriously the best. Soft, chewy goodness.