Courtesy of TBS's Dinner & a Movie .

Ingredients: For the Cookies:

• 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 c molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbl cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbl grated orange peel

For the Icing:

• 1/3 c vegetable shortening
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
• 2 tbl milk

For the Toppings:
Nutty Annabelles:

• red hots, for her voluptuous lips
• crushed nuts for her ditzy charm and nuttiness
• dough scraps pushed through a garlic press for her well teased plumage

Bittersweet Pauls:

• bittersweet chocolate shavings for his sardonic wit
• maraschino cherry slices for his lusty fashion glasses
• dough scraps pushed through a garlic press and snipped short for his winsome flattop

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and molasses and continue beating to blend well.

2. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and grated orange peel. Whisk and toss together to combine.

3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture one half cup at a time, beating well with each addition until thoroughly combined.

4. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 325- F and line the two cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease the cookie sheets.

6. On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4". (If you plan to make tree ornaments, roll to a thickness of 1/2")

7. Cut gleefully into little Paul 'N Annabelles with a TBS 'Dinner & A Movie' cookie cutter or a very sharp paring knife. (Stretch the Annabelles a little to make 'em thin)

8. Brush lightly with a little water before pressing on nuts, dried fruits, red hots, dough hair, etc. Use a drinking straw or chopstick to create holes for hanging.

9. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges. (The thicker ornament cookies may take a little longer.)

10. While the cookies bake, beat icing ingredients together until very smooth and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip.

11. Remove the cookies from the oven, transfer to wire racks and allow to cool before decorating with belts, puffy sleeves, ascots, designer dresses and TBS logos. When fully dressed, finish Paul with a dusting of bitter chocolate and Annabelle with just a little powered sugar so she won't look too shinny under those glaring tree lights.

12. Makes one dozen 4 1/2" Paul 'N Annabelles.