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Lebkuchen
Source: Tulsa Tribune - November 13, 1991
NOTE: These cookies should be made a month to six weeks before they are to be given. They will keep for another month after that.
1 cup honey
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Grated peel of 1 lemon
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sliced almonds or whole blanched almonds
Glaze
Heat honey until bubbling. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then beat in the sugar, egg, lemon juice and peel; set aside until lukewarm.
Combine the flour with the spices and seasonings; add the honey mixture and stir well to blend. Cover and refrigerate from 8 hours to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Set them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper. Press flat with the bottom of a wet glass. Press in 1 or 2 almond slices or 1 whole almonds. Bake for 12 to 15 minute or until golden brown.
Brush with glaze while still warm, then allow to cool. Store in airtight containers for a few weeks. These cookies start out hard and soften as they mature.
Makes about 50 cookies.
Glaze: Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 4 to 5 tablespoons water, stirring to make a runny glaze.
Lebkuchen (Honey Cakes)
8 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
4 cusp ground almonds
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped citron
2 cusp plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
4 tablespoons brandy
Sift flour, soda and spices together twice. Add ground almonds and citron. Mix honey and molasses in a saucepan and heat to a gentle boil. Remove from the stove. Make a hole in the center of the flour, and add the honey mixture while still hot. As you stir this into the flour, gradually add the brandy. Work this up into a ball of dough, cover, and set aside to ripen in the refrigerator for 8 days. The dough will rise in bulk as it ripens. On the eighth day, roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Set these on greased baking sheets, cover, and store in a cool place overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes or until fully risen and pale brown on the bottom. Cool on racks. As they cool, the cookies will harden. Store in airtight containers.
