Make a batch of Lebkuchen and you are sure to fall in love with these traditional German cookies! Heavenly spiced soft cookies that are cross between a biscuit and a cake and only get better with age.
1cup(200 g) dark soft brown sugar(Muscovado sugar)
¼cup(60 g) unsalted butter
1large egg beaten
1tsplemon zest
1tsporange zest
1tbsplemon juiceuse only if dough is a bit dry
1 ¾cups(300 g) flourplain / all purpose
1cup(100g) ground almonds
1tspbaking powder
½tspbaking soda
2tspground cinnamon
½tspfine sea salt
½tspground allspice
¼tspground ginger
¼tspground cloves
1/4tspgrated nutmeg
⅛tspwhite pepper(optional)
1tspvegetable oil, for the bowl
For the glaze
1cup(120 g) icing sugar(powdered sugar)
Juice of 1 lemon
1tspvanilla extract or paste
1tsprumoptional
To decorate (optional)
sprinkles or sanding sugar
flaked almonds
To store
Orange peel strips
Instructions
Measure the honey and sugar in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second bursts. Stir together vigorously with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves.
Add the cubed butter and zest and stir until the butter melts.
Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt and spices and egg.
Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice as needed.
Mist a spatula or your hands with oil and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare the glaze: mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a thin and runny glaze.
Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to a thickness of 2cm (just under an inch).
Cut shapes using round, star or heart cookie cutters. Space the cookies out on the silicone mat and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up any scraps and rolling out again and bake in batches.
Transfer the cookies carefully to a wire rack and brush with the glaze while they are still a little warm.
Leave the glaze to dry and add a second layer if desired. Add sanding sugar, sprinkles or slivered almonds to decorate if you like. Check the recipe notes if you want to cover the lebkuchen in chocolate.
Put the cookies in a cake tin, separated by parchment paper so that they don’t stick. Place a few strips of orange peel in the tin. Lebkuchen become more delicious the longer you keep them making them the ideal festive gift!
Video
Notes
To cover the Lebkuchen in chocolate, melt half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips by placing in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.Take the pan off the heat once the chocolate chips have almost melted and add another half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips. Stir gently until the chocolate chips have melted completely.Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate and leave to dry on a wire rack before storing.