Lakrids-mas Men

What a better ornament that one smelling like christmas and tasting like liquorice?
For some years now I have baked my own tree ornaments, but this year I decided to make a twist on my own recipe: Exchange Ginger for Fine Liquorice Powder.

Ingredients:
Cookies:
375 gr flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp Fine Liquorice Powder by Johan Bülow
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
115 gr butter at room temp.
115 gr vegetable shortening/fat
100 gr brown sugar
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg

Royal Icing:
2 Large egg whites (60gr)
2 tsp fresh lemon Juice
330 gr Powder sugar

Preheat to 180C. Sift the flour, Liquorice, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper through a sieve into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the butter and shortening for about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat for 2 more minutes. Beat in the molasses and egg. Using a wooden spoon or the kneading KitchenAid attachment, mix in the flour mixture. Divide the dough into two and wrap in plastic wrap separately. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Let's roll out the cookies. Start with one part of the dough and keep the other in the fridge. Remove the dough from the fridge for 10 minutes. Place the dough on a floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough 1/2 cm thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer to cookie sheets with baking paper, placing the cookies 1 cm apart. With a straw, make a hole on the upper side of the cookie so you can hang them on your tree.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire racks or plates.

Decorate with Royal icing and let them dry for a day before hanging. I really like the explanation for this icing from the Joy of Baking YouTube Channel: