For approx. 35 pieces

Ingredients:

• 250 g honey
• 100 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 2 eggs (size M)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon rum
• 500 g wheat flour type 405
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• Condensed milk
• 100 g cherries
• Chocolate droplets
• Hail sugar
• 300 g powdered sugar
• approx. 3-4 tablespoons cold water
• Food coloring, red
• Marzipan paste + powdered sugar
• Flour for the work surface
• Butter and flour for the trays

Preheat the Merklinger to approx. 180-200°C.

Grease and flour 2-3 baking trays.

Place the honey, sugar, vanilla sugar, eggs, spices and rum in a large bowl and mix well with a mixing spoon.

Mix the flour with the baking powder in a bowl. Stir 2/3 of it into the mixture. Knead in the rest.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of approx. 1 cm on a floured work surface, cut out cookies using a round cutter (7 cm in diameter) and place on the baking trays.

Cut the cherries in half. Brush the cookies with condensed milk. Place the cherry in the bottom third as a nose.

Sprinkle the chopped sugar (as a beard) around the nose and press down lightly. Place two chocolate drops on the honey cakes as eyes.

Place the trays with the honey cakes directly on the fireclay bricks in the Merklinger and bake for approx. 15 minutes at approx. 180°C.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, mix the powdered sugar with the water until smooth and color with a few drops of red food coloring. Fill the icing into a piping bag with a perforated nozzle. Pipe the icing around the top third of the honey cake and then fill it in completely. Form small balls from the raw marzipan mixture. Roll these in powdered sugar, cut in half and place on the still moist icing as a "pom-pom".

Tip: Stick the Santa Clauses on wooden skewers and enjoy as "lollipops".