½ cup instant coffee
½ cup hot water
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1½ cups honey
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon anise (ground or liquid extract)
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon white vinegar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
6 cups flour
Glaze:
4½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup milk
Notes:
Use a mixer to make the cookie batter, but make sure to use a good quality machine, since this batter will be very thick and heavy and may burn out a model that isn't very strong. The amount of batter is very large, so if you want to use a mixer, I would recommend halving the recipe.
These cookies is that they are great to make ahead of time. The baked and glazed cookies store very well for at least a week or two in an airtight container and you can freeze them in an airtight container or ziptop bag for a few months. Simply thaw the cookies and they taste just as fresh as the day you made them.