East Prussian pepper nuts

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 45 g spice mix for pepper nuts *
• 500 g sugar
• 500 g honey
• 200 g butter
• 250 ml milk
• 125 g cocoa powder
• 4 egg yolks
• 1.375 g flour
• 3 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 14 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 14 minutes

according to an old family recipe

* We use this spice mix: 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp anise, 1 tsp cloves, 2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 3 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, lemon and orange zest from one fruit each. Grind all the spices finely or crush them in a mortar and pestle. You can experiment with the ratio over time and adjust it to your taste. You can also use a commercially available mix. Heat the sugar, honey, butter, milk, cocoa and the spices in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Then remove the pan from the heat and, while the mixture is still hot, add the egg yolks, stirring quickly. Then knead in the flour and baking soda. The dough should have a nice shine and will still be sticky at first. Cover the dough in the pan with a cloth and let it rest and cool for approx. 30-60 minutes. The dough will have a slightly rubbery consistency and is then quite easy to roll out on a floured surface and then continue working with it. Cut out the dough with cookie cutters or scoop out small portions of dough with a teaspoon, shape them into balls, and flatten them lightly in your hand, not too close together on the baking sheet. The gingerbread cookies will expand slightly during baking. Bake in a preheated oven at approx. 175°C (convection oven) for approx. 14 minutes. Tip: You can then decorate the gingerbread cookies with a sugar glaze. We use a glaze made from lemon or orange juice and powdered sugar. You can experiment and adjust the ratio over time to suit your taste.