Tula-Style Spiced Honey Gingerbread Cookies with Sugared Print

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These iconic Russian spice-honey cookies hail from the city of Tula and are recognizable by their stenciled sugar pattern on top. The dough is gently warmed with honey and a complex spice blend, then stamped or stencilled with a thin icing glaze before baking.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 345 kcalCalories
• 9 gFat
• 5 gSaturated Fat
• 62 gCarbs
• 3 gFiber
• 32 gSugar
• 6 gProtein
• 160 mgSodium
• 180 mgPotassium
• 35 mgCalcium
• 2 mgIron
• 1 mgVitamin C
• 55 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the dough

• 300 g rye flour
• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 180 g wildflower honey
• 110 g granulated sugar
• 80 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda, sifted
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the sugared print glaze

• 1 large egg white
• 220 g powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the honey and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is fluid, about 4-5 minutes; do not boil.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper. Let the spiced honey cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the softened butter, eggs, and salt until smooth.
3. Sift in the rye flour, all-purpose flour, and baking soda, mixing with a wooden spoon until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 25 minutes.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1 cm thick and cut into ovals or rectangles using a 9 cm cutter. Place the cookies on the sheets, leaving 3 cm between them.
5. Bake in a preheated 175°C (350°F) oven for 14-16 minutes, until the tops are firm and lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
6. While the cookies cool, whisk the egg white, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and water together until a smooth, thick but pipeable icing forms (add extra water drops if needed).
7. Place a stencil or cut-out paper template (the classic Tula design is an oval frame with a figure and banner) over each warm cookie and spread a thin, even layer of the icing across the stencil with a palette knife, revealing the pattern when the stencil is lifted.
8. Return the iced cookies to the turned-off oven (or a 90°C / 200°F oven) for 4-5 minutes to set the icing surface until matte and dry to the touch.
9. Let the cookies cool completely on the rack; the printed glaze will harden into a crisp, decorative layer atop a tender, fragrant spice-honey crumb.
10. Serve with strong black tea or coffee, and store in a sealed tin up to 2 weeks for the flavors to mellow and deepen.

Cook’s Notes

• Use a good-quality wildflower or buckwheat honey; the darker the honey, the deeper the spice notes after baking.
• For an authentic touch, rest the dough overnight in the fridge; the rye flour and spices meld into a richer, more complex flavor.
• Make a simple paper stencil with the classic Tula coat-of-arms or a folk motif to get the iconic printed look without special equipment.
• Apply the icing while the cookies are still slightly warm so the glaze adheres fully and dries into a smooth layer.
• Tradition allows a thin layer of fruit jam or sweetened poppy-seed paste between two cookies, but plain single-layer pryaniki are the most classic form.

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