Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp each cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon or orange zest
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute half with rye flour)
For the sugar glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2–3 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Place a saucepan with ½ inch water on a burner and turn to medium heat. Put a large metal or glass bowl over the saucepan and bring water to simmer. Once the water boils. Add honey, sugar, butter and spices to the bowl and mix until butter melts and all the ingredients incorporate. Remove bowl from the heat and let cool for about 30 minutes.
- Add eggs and lemon zest to the bowl and mix.
- Add baking powder, baking soda and flour to the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until smooth. Cover bowl and place in the fridge for 4 hours and up to overnight.
- When you‘re ready to bake, turn the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use your hands to roll 1-inch-round cookies and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, switching between baking sheets after 7 minutes, until cookies are just golden at the bottom. Do not over-bake, as the cookies will become too hard. Transfer to a cooling rack until completely cold.
- To make the sugar glaze, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and 2 Tbsp water with a spoon in a medium bowl. If the mixture seems too dry, add up to 1 Tbsp more water and keep on mixing until a smooth glaze is formed.
- Dip the cookie tops in the glaze and put back on the cooling rack to set.
Notes
- The cookie dough needs to chill in the refrigerator, or up to overnight.
- The cookies will improve with time, so I suggest baking them at least two days before serving, though you can keep them in a sealed container at room temperature up to a month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 4 hours chill time
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish