Hanukah Honey and Spice Cookies

Hanukah is a perfect time to share family traditions with loved ones. Along with traditional Hanukah foods such as brisket and latkes, you may also have the custom of serving cookies along with your sufganiyot (jelly donuts). These Hanukah Honey and Spice Cookies are a perfect accompaniment with your other traditional foods.

You will need the following items for the cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey
1 egg
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

For the icing you will need:
2 egg whites
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, start the cookies.

Cream margarine and brown sugar until well combined in a large bowl. Follow this by beating in the honey and egg and set this aside. In a smaller bowl, add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Stir this well and then add it to the honey mixture. Using the electric mixer beat these ingredients on low speed until well blended. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Grease at least two cookie sheets and set them aside.

Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Separate the dough into four equal parts. Working with 1/4 of the dough, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes. Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets l inch apart. Reroll any dough to use up the scraps. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for seven minutes, or until golden. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

To make the icing, add the egg whites, powdered sugar, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl. Beat this mixture on high speed until soft peaks form. Place the icing in a pastry bag and decorate the cooled cookies. This recipe makes about two or more dozen cookies based on the sizes of the cookie cutters you use.