In a saucepan, heat sugar, golden syrup, butter and treacle over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Once cooled, add egg and whisk.
110 grams light brown sugar, 75 grams golden syrup, 113 grams unsalted butter, 75 grams treacle, 1 large egg
In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar mixture and stir until just combined. Turn on to a floured surface and knead until stiff. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic and put in the fridge for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough until ¼ inch thick. If the dough is too dry, slightly wet your hands with water and briefly knead until the dough is softer.
Using a cookie round, use your cookie stamp to emboss the dough. Use a cookie cutter that is slightly larger than the stamp to cut out the cookies. You can reroll the scraps. Place 1-2 inches apart on the pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until a light golden brown.
In a small bowl, mix together the icing sugar, milk, brandy and vanilla until smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush the warm cookies.
My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven’t tested the recipe with this method. Original Recipe: the recipe has been updated as of 2022. For the original recipe, just leave out the ½ cup of butter. I found both methods worked well but I know some people found the dough was too dry. Adding the butter and letting it melt with the rest of the ingredients help keep the dough soft. Treacle: you can substitute treacle for molasses. Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note, I'm using Diamond Crystal salt and not Morton salt, which is far too salty.Golden Syrup: you can substitute honey for golden syrup. Storage: keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.