1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. Add the sugar beet syrup and honey and mix in. Mix the flour with baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a second bowl. Add gradually to the bowl and mix in. When the dough starts coming together, use your hands to knead the dough until you get a nice and smooth dough. Divide the dough into two portions, form into balls, flatten a bit and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours (or overnight).

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the first dough portion on a floured surface to a thickness of about 0.12 inches (3mm). Use round cookie cutters and cut out dough circles of different sizes and place them with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough until all is gone.

3. Mix the confectioners‘ sugar with the vanilla extract, gradually add the milk until the icing has a thick but not too runny consistency. Make a test with one cookie by dipping it into the icing, remove excess icing, and then place it on a wire rack. If the icing is not running over the edge the consistency is right, if the icing is too runny add some more confectioners’ sugar to thicken it a bit. Divide the icing between several small bowls, color it with a few drops of (gel) food color and then dip the cookies one after the other into the icing to cover the surface completely. Place on the wire rack to dry for at least 6 hours (better overnight) – after that, you can store the cookies in a well-closing thin box.