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Bring sugar, butter or shortening (the original recipe used vegetable shortening), and molasses to a boil. Sprinkle candied peels with flour and chop finely. (Amount of candied peel may vary, using two or three small cartons works.) Stir candied peels into mixture. Remove from heat.
Remove cardamon seeds from husks and discard husks. Crush cardamon seeds using mortar and pestle (or other means). Combine lemon juice, grated rind and baking soda and let it fizz. Add cardamon and other spices to this mixture, then combine it with the hot molasses mixture.
Add the flour. Mixture will be extremely stiff and heavy, but stir it as well as you can with a very sturdy spoon. (Wooden spoons have snapped in half.)
On a genereously floured surface, roll out batches of dough to a thickness of one-quarter inch. Cut into circles roughly three inches in diameter (use a biscuit cutter or a water glass dipped in flour). Press half a blanched almond into the center of each cookie.
Bake on a greased or baking parchment-lined cookie sheet at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool, then store in a tightly covered tin.
This recipe is from the de Haas and McMillan families, where the usual practice was to double or triple it.
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