Four spice, honey Christmas cookies

I’m writing this post in English partly because every cook in Hungary has their own recipe for Christmas honey cookies, secondly because I forgot to send Abby my own recipe in my BBM package. And since I’ve just finished making my batch for this Xmas I can post a picture to illustrate what I’m writing about.
In all honesty, I hardly make honey cookies. I’m no fan of sweets made with honey unless they come from the Middle East. But last week one of my colleagues brought a box of these cookies her mother made the day before and they were so delicious that I decided to do away with my preconceptions and make them this weekend. After making them, I have officially added them to my regular Xmas desserts. They are that great.

Recipe

250 g honey
300 g margarine
300 g sugar
1000 g flour
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon baking soda
3+1 large eggs
various seeds for decoration: sesame, sunflower, raisins, almonds

In a small pan boil the honey with the spices and the orange zest. When boiling, remove from heat and stir in margarine, melt completely, set aside. Beat 3 eggs with the sugar until white and fluffy. Mix flour and baking soda. Mix flour, honey and egg mixtures until fully incorporated. It is best to alternate flour and honey mixture as you add it to the egg mixture, with the mixer on low (can be a bit labour-intensive). When ready, wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate overnight – dough will harden and get ready to be rolled.
The next day, roll dough to about 3-5 mm thickness, cut out desired figurines. Brush with slightly beaten egg, decorate and bake in moderately hot oven (180 degrees) for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven promptly when cookies start to get a little color, otherwise they will become hard and bitter. Cool slightly before placing them in a cookie jar. They will soften if left to rest for a few days.