1. In a large bowl, beat sugar and shortening until fluffy.
2. Add eggs and molasses, then beat until smooth.
3. In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Gradually add it to the liquids until well blended. If using freshly ground flour, you may need to add more flour to get a good cookie consistency.
4. Transfer cookie dough to a container with a lid (or wrap in parchment paper) and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Split cookie dough in half. Set one aside. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll one half of the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut it into desired shapes, then place cookies on greased cookie sheets, about 1/2 inch apart (they will not rise much as they bake). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden on the edges.
7. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before icing.
8. Gather the scraps of cookie dough into a ball and roll it out again. Repeat the rolling, cutting, baking, and cooling process until all the dough is baked. 

Make the Icing:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and almond milk, adding more almond milk 1/2 tsp at a time if necessary to get your desired consistency.
2. Scoop the icing into a frosting bag or quart-size freezer bag (not a sandwich bag – it will break). Snip the corner off the freezer bag, and ice the cookies as desired. You can also simply use a butter knife to spread the icing on the cookies.
3. Enjoy immediately or let the icing set for a few minutes before serving (just kidding – who waits before digging into the cookies?!)