This is a nice, spicy cookie that is great with coffee. I tried the first sheet without oiling the pan per the recipe but found they stuck to the pan. Used a little spray oil on the next ones and they came off easily. The cookies are very soft when done and need to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes until firm enough to handle. I ground fresh anise, cardamon, and cloves plus put in a little extra of each because we like them extra spicy. Use a lot of flour when rolling out the dough. It can be sticky.

I was looking for an authentic German cookie recipe so I could send my Aunt some cookies that would remind her of her (German) mother. I don't know whether they are authentic or not, but I was very happy with how the cookies turned out. The smell while they were baking was strong enough that I wondered if the spiciness would be overwhelming, but they tasted sublime. I made a couple of significant modifications: - halved the recipe, with no problem - substituted whole wheat flour for half of the all purpose flour - added two eggs plus enough additional flour to make up for the liquid in the eggs. I wanted the cookies to rise a bit and the eggs did the trick nicely.

This is an easy recipe to make traditional German Pfefferkuchen, or Lebkuchen. I ended up pouring the dough into cooking pans instead of rolling it out, and only realized later that when you wait a little the dough gets harder and rollable. I also frosted mine with a sugar glaze and brought them to work - they were a HUGH success!