Pfeffernüsse Spice Cookies Recipe

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.

Warm the molasses, honey, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the spices and salt. Let cool until just warm to the touch.

Stir in the milk, baking soda, and egg. Add the flour and stir until most of the flour is absorbed. Using hands, knead the dough until the remaining flour is incorporated.

Pinch off about a teaspoon of dough and roll a 1-inch ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls of dough 1-inch apart from each other.

Bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies are just starting to brown.

Stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water to make the glaze.

Once the cookies are done baking, pull the pan out of the oven and brush the hot cookies with the glaze, making sure to cover as much of the tops and sides as possible. Don’t worry if some of the glaze drips onto the baking sheet.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until the glaze is dry to the touch, then move to a cooling rack.

The cookies improve (the spices mellow and the texture softens) after 1 to 2 days in a sealed airtight container.