lebkuchen | thebrookcook

I love having at least one spice cookie in my Christmas cookie assortment. This year, I selected Lebkuchen because I know my mom is a fan of them. I only made one batch- what a mistake! I should have doubled it (at least)… Next time. 😉

This recipe is from Hannah of the beautiful blog Domestic Gothess. I glazed the finished cookies and omitted dipping them in chocolate. I weighed the dry ingredients and freshly ground the spices in the dough. They were wonderful!

For the Lebkuchen:

150 g (1/2 + 1/3 cup) dark brown soft sugar
150 g (5.3oz) runny honey
50 g (4 T, 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest of 1 naval orange
300 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
150 g (1 1/4 cups) ground almonds
1 T cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs

For the Glaze:

150 g (1 1/2 cups) Confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 T water

Put the sugar, honey, butter and orange zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, ground almonds, cocoa powder, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In two or three additions, mix in the flour mixture until well combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least half an hour or (ideally) up to overnight.
To Bake: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 (on convection) and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop out portions of the dough using a large cookie scoop (1 1/2″ in diameter) or measuring spoon (about 1 1/2 tbsp at a time), and roll between slightly damp hands into smooth balls.
Place them well spaced apart on the baking sheets and flatten them slightly with your fingers.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes until firm and lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Transfer the Lebkuchen to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To Make the Glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and gradually mix in enough of the water to form a slightly runny icing – not too wet though or it will all run off. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet.
Dip the tops of the Lebkuchen in the glaze, allow the excess to drip off then place them right-side up on the wire rack to set.
Once set, store in an airtight container. The cookies improve over time. An apple placed in the container may keep them more fresh.