Put sugar, butter, milk and honey in a medium pan and heat up gently stirring constantly until dissolved/melted together into uniform mixture. Make sure you don't allow mixture to boil. Set aside.

Put flour, spices, black pepper and baking soda in a large bowl or a bowl of stand mixer and give it a quick mix to incorporate.

Pour butter and honey mixture into the flour and start mixing.

Add eggs one by one, mixing in between each addition.

Prepare ammonium bicarbonate by mixing it with a teaspoon of water. This makes it easier to evenly distribute through the dough.

Add ammonium bicarbonate water mixture into the dough and mix well to incorporate. At this point dough will be very sticky and it wouldn't be easy at all to work with. It requires chilling.

Transfer your dough into a bowl that will fit in your fridge. Cover and put in the fridge for minimum of 48 hours and up to 2 weeks to firm up and for flavours to develop.

When you're ready to bake preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ gas mark 4.

Take small piece of dough out of the bowl (it will be quite hard initially) and onto a counter dusted with some flour and roll it into sausage shape.

Cut it into small 2x2cm pieces (similar to gnocchi). Repeat with all the remaining dough.

Prepare couple of baking trays by greasing them lightly with some oil or butter and sprinkling over some flour.

Place pierniczki dough on prepared baking sheet leaving some room for them to expand.

Bake in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. You want them nicely browned but not too dark.

Take them onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

Prepare runny icing by mixing together sieved icing sugar, lemon juice and/or water.

One by one put cooled pierniczki into the icing and completely cover them in icing. Place on a cooling rack to drip dry and for the icing to set. Repeat with all remaining cookies.

Let pierniczki dry completely on both sides before putting them into airtight biscuit tins.