1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and Redpath Dark Brown Sugar until fluffy.

2. Mix in the eggs and molasses.

3. Whisk together flour, spices, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Stir into the wet ingredients until incorporated, then turn dough out onto a clean surface and use your hands to bring the dough together.

4. Divide the dough in three and shape each portion into a disc, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour before rolling out.

5. When ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 1/4-inch thick. To keep dough moist, Marian suggests rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.

6. Cut shapes out with cookie cutters and place them approximately 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

7. Place cookies in the freezer or fridge until firm, about 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the fridge. This will help the cookies keep their shape while baking and prevent them from spreading too much.

8. Bake cookies until lightly golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

How to Prepare:

1. In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more. Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

3. Using the paddle attachment on the lowest speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

4. Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency. For Spider-Web Decorated Cookies:
1. Outline cookie with desired colour. We used white.

2. Flood with the same colour. Once you’ve flooded the cookies, give them a light shake to smooth out the icing.

3. Using a different colour, pipe a swirl from the inside to the outside of the cookie.

4. Working quickly, use a toothpick to draw lines from the centre of the cookie to the edge, creating a web-like design. Let set for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow icing to harden.

For Spooky Ghosts:

1. Outline the ghost cookie in white icing.

2. Flood the ghost cookie with white icing.

3. Let this set for at least an hour or until icing is hardened.

4. Using black royal icing, draw two eyes and a mouth. Let the cookies set for another 4 hours or until the icing has hardened.