Pfefferkuchen!

It's that time of year....
Pfefferkuchen is a traditional German Christmas cookie that my Oma made for us each year. That, along with the little chocolate advent calenders just SCREAM Christmas for me, so I've started the tradition of the advent calenders, but also Pfefferkuchen baking with my children each year. They just love it and we have such a fun time! This year we have a very special reason for baking so early. My beloved brother and his family are moving far, far away. We've always been very close...both relationionally, but also geographically. The sad thing is that he has a baby now...a darling son that I adore...he's 11 months old. And they're moving away. :( But I digress...today we baked like maniacs so that we could send my brother off on his cross-country journey with a trailer full of Pfefferkuchen. We'll definitely have to bake more as it gets closer to Christmas. It's just so tasty!

Pfefferkuchen

Melt together:
8oz honey
1 c. sugar
1.5 stick butter

Combine:
5 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp dark cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

When melted ingredients cool to room temperature (cool enough where it won't cook the eggs when you add them), put into stand mixer and add:
2 eggs

While running mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients until well combined.
Take dough from mixer and knead a couple of times on a floured surface and roll about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. I prefer small-ish shapes.

Note: dough is WAY easier to work with when it's warm.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, just until the underside is lightly browned. When cookies are nearly cool, use pastry brush to glaze with mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice (this takes practice getting it just the right consistency...not too runny, not too thick--it should leave a thin, crunchy crust on cookies, not a frosting. If it's too thin, or if cookies are too warm, it will absorb into cookies, not what you want!)