The Spice Club Xmas Cookies

• 600 g flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 4 teaspoons The Spice Club Dutch Cookie Mix
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 200 ml honey
• 1½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 large egg
• 50 ml (buttermilk)milk
• 3 teaspoons baking powder

For the glaze:

• 250 g icing sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1½ tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Food coloring, sprinkles and granulated sugar (optional)

Supplies:

• Cookie cutters (e.g. gingerbread men, stars, snowflakes)
• Piping bags with a small round tip (1-2 mm)

Preparing the Dough:

• Sift the flour, The Spice Club Dutch Cookie Mix and salt into a large bowl.
• In another bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the honey and grated lemon zest and mix until well combined.
• Beat in the egg until completely incorporated.
• Dissolve the baking powder in the milk and add this mixture to the butter mixture.
• Reduce the mixing speed and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until a homogeneous dough is formed.

Dough Cooling:

• Divide the dough into two equal portions.
• Shape each portion into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Cookie Shapes:

• Preheat the oven to 175°C and line baking trays with baking paper.
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll out a disk of dough to a thickness of about 0.5 cm.
• Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2cm between each cookie.

Baking:

• Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare glaze:

• Mix the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, honey and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
• Add additional milk if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
• Divide the icing between several bowls and add food coloring if desired.

Decorating:

• Fill piping bags with the colored icing and use a small round tip to decorate the cookies.
• Sprinkle with sprinkles or granulated sugar before the icing hardens, if desired.
• Let the decorated cookies dry at room temperature until the icing has completely hardened.

Enjoy baking and decorating these festive gingerbread cookies!