Place molasses, honey, shortening, and margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat; stir until well combined.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature; beat in eggs.
Combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, anise extract, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add molasses mixture; stir until well combined. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll dough into acorn-sized balls; place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until firm and slightly crackled, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust cookies with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container.
