My grandmother got this recipe from a neighbor of hers that was a housekeeper for an Italian priest. It was a recipe from his family. My parents (making these was a family affair) worked a lot of flour into them, so that they were very hard after baking. Then Mom put them in a crock, covered with a towel, in the basement for a couple of weeks to "season." If you don't want to be bothered with that, you could use less flour for a softer cookie.
Ruth
Honey Cookies
4 cups honey
4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1/2 pound cut citron
1 pound slivered toasted almonds
3 tsp cinnamon
9 T vinegar
1 T powdered fennel
1 T anise oil
3 T soda dissolved in 1 cup warm water
enough flour to make a stiff dough (about 12 cups)
frosting: 1 beaten egg with 1/2 pound powdered sugar: make batches as needed
1. Mix all ingredients except the flour in a LARGE bowl.
2. Gradually work in the flour until it is stiff enough to be rolled out.
3. Roll out and cut into rectangles (traditional) or with a round cookie cutter (more uniform shapes)
4. Put a swatch of frosting on the middle top of each cookie with a pastry brush.
5. Bake at 374 until edges are brownish.
