German Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups ground walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground coriander seed
¼ teaspoon anise seed
1 ¼ cups shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the vegetable shortening with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350º F (180º C).

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut into rounds using a 2-inch round cookie cutter and place 1 ½ inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake until golden, about 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Melt chocolate over low heat and drizzle over cooled cookies.

From: www.allrecipes.com