The Cookie Buffet: Pierniczki

Because I had included Greek cookies in my cookie buffet, I figured it was only fair to include some Polish ones too -- the only problem was that I didn't know of any! A little research online, and I found what seemed to be the perfect cookie choice: pierniczki, a Polish ginger-honey cookie. These are traditional Christmas cookies. They are also traditionally rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, but I decided to bypass that and convert the recipe into a drop cookie dough. In order to do that, I adapted the flour to fat ratio of one of Paula Deen's ginger cookie recipes, and tweaked it into a pierniczki dough that could be dropped by a cookie scoop.


Here is what I ended up with:
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C solid shortening
• 2 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C honey
• 4 C flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2-3 tsp cinnamon (depending on how you like your cinnamon)
• 3-4 tsp ginger (depending on how you like your ginger)
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Cream the shortening and sugar until well combined
3. Add the eggs and honey, and beat until completely incorporated
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt
5. Add to the mixture in 2 batches, mixing each time until just combined.
6. Scoop dough with a #40 scoop onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2" apart
7. Bake about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet for 3 minutes, and move to wire racks.

And viola: