Melt the
butter with the molasses in a small
saucepan. Remove from the heat and set aside
to cool.
Mix the peppercorns and cardamom
in a small bowl. Sift the flour, baking
soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into a
large bowl.
Stir in the peppercorns and
cardamom. Use a wooden spoon to stir in
the sugar, molasses mixture, and egg. Turn
out onto a lightly floured surface and knead
lightly until smooth.
Shape into a disk,
wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30
minutes. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/gas 3. Line two cookie sheets with
parchment paper.
Roll out the dough on a
lightly floured surface to a thickness of
1/4 inch (5 mm). Use a star-shaped cutter
to stamp into shapes.
Gather the dough
scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting out
cookies until all the dough is used.
Use a
metal spatula to transfer to the prepared
cookie sheets, spacing 1 inch (2.5 cm)
apart.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until
firm to the touch. Cool the cookies
completely on the cookie sheets. Transfer to
a rack.
Mix the confectioners' sugar an
water in a small bowl. Drizzle over the
cookies.