Grandmother's Lebkuchen Cookies

This cookie was sent to my boyfriend and I for Christmas last year by my Bijan's Grandmother. The first taste kind of surprised me but once I ate one cookie I was hooked. The cookies were cut out into large bar shapes with scalloped edges. They strongly taste of licorice because of the anise oil and that is what makes this cookie so unique.. The anise oil can be purchased at health food stores. The recipe sure makes a lot of cookies but I am not sure how many. The passive work time is the chilling period.

• Ready In: 73 hrs
• Serves: 42
• Yields: 7 dozen

Ingredients

• 1  pint molasses (green label-Brer Rabbit)
• 2  cups brown sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  cup shortening
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons  anise oil
• 2  teaspoons cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon clove
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 3  teaspoons baking soda (dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water)
• 1  cup coffee, warm
• 1  teaspoon vinegar
• 1  cup walnuts, ground fine
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 7 1⁄2-8  cups flour

Directions

1. Cream together molasses, brown sugar, egg, and shortening.
2. Sift cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, salt, and flour and set aside.
3. Add coffee, anise oil and vinegar to creamed brown sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Add dry ingredients and baking soda solution to mixture (mix well).
5. Add ground walnuts and mix.
6. Refrigerate for at least 3 days.
7. Dough will be tough.
8. keep unused dough in fridge.
9. Keep flouring rolling pin.
10. On a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin roll out dough (Roll out a pound at a time) to 1/4 of an inch.
11. cut cookies with cookie cutters.
12. grease cookie sheet slightly.
13. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.
14. Ice with confectioner sugar, butter, milk icing (I don't have exact measurements for her icing because she says she wings it).