Hard Tack Cookies

These cookies were one of the Christmas cookies we made every year. Because the dough had to be made 6 weeks before rolling out and baking, it was the "start" of the Christmas season in our house. This happened in early November. My mother used to make tons of cookies and candy for the holiday season. I have searched from where this recipe came but have been unsuccessful in finding an exact match. It must have been German (My mother's family is from the Trier/Rittersdorf area in Germany). It is similar to Lebkuchen and Pffernuesse, but not exact. Neither of those cookies need to set for 6 weeks. After being mixed up together, the dough was put in a crock and covered and set at room temperature for six weeks. At six weeks, the dough is very hard and takes a lot of muscle to roll and cut out cookies. The finished product is also a very hard cookie. It is frosted with powdered sugar frosting, just like regular sugar cookies are. We used to eat them dunked in coffee which helps soften them. I am the only one in my family who continues to makes these cookies, but I share with my siblings. The original recipe calls for a gallon of dark syrup, one pound of butter and lard and seasonings and flour. This makes a HUGE batch of cookies. I usually quarter the recipe and this makes plenty for my family. Also, the recipe calls for enough flour until the dough isn't sticky. Because of wanting to put this recipe in the book, I finally measured how much flour I was using. For the quarter recipe, I used 8 cups of flour
Recipe:
1 gallon dark Karo syrup
1 pound butter
1 pound lard
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cloves
4 tablespoons anise seed
2 teaspoons baking soda
Flour
Mix syrup, lard and butter together in a pot and heat until butter and lard is melted. Add the seasonings and slowly add in the flour until the dough is just unsticky. Let stand for 6 weeks before rolling out and baking.
These cookies are not for those with weak teeth. Unless you dunk them in coffee which softens them.