Puerquitos

Yield:18-20 large cookies

Ingredients:
4 ounces	margarine
3/4 C	dark brown sugar
1	egg's worth of flax goop or other egg replacer
2 t	vanilla extract
1 T	espresso powder
3 T	water
3 1/2 C	unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t	salt
1 t	ground ginger
1 t	ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t	baking soda
3/4 C	molasses
1 T	molasses mixed with 1 T water, for glaze
Optional frosting:
1 C	powdered sugar
1 T	margarine
2 T	boiling water
	pink or red food coloring
	raisins or chocolate chips for eyes

Beat the margarine in a mixing bowl until fluffy, adding the brown sugar, egg, vanilla, espresso powder, and water.
Mix together the flour, salt, ginger, and cinnamon till well-blended. Stir the baking soda into the molasses, which will foam up a little.
Beat the molasses into the margarine mixture. Add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is well blended. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least two hours, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Roll a portion of the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into pigs with a large cookie cutter. Remove the dough scraps and rechill before rerolling. Carefully place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If you're not planning to make the pink frosting, brush with glaze and stick on raisin eyes. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don't overbake, as the puerquitos are meant to be soft. Cool on racks.
If frosting, beat the powdered sugar, margarine, and boiling water together till smooth, then tint with food coloring. Spread in the cooled cookies, and add a chocolate chip or raisin eye to each.