Lebkuchen

This recipe is based upon a Gourmet Cookbook recipe, originally published in 1950.  The recipe makes one batch or about six dozen cookies.  Once combined, the dough needs to sit before baking for 24 hours and up to 72 hours at room temperature to ripen and mellow.  Citron, a candied fruit, is usually available during the winter holidays at major grocery stores.  Cardamom seeds are also usually available at major grocery stores; ground cardamom can also be used but the crushed seeds give a much better flavor. The ground almonds can be bought pre-ground, or you can buy slivered blanched almonds and grind them in a food processor with a little white sugar; do not over process to a paste. Lebkuchen keep, tightly stored at room temperature, for weeks and even months.  The baked cookies taste best a few days after baking, allowing all the flavors to meld together.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup honey
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 egg
2 ½ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
1/3 cup chopped citron (candied)
1/3 cup ground blanched almonds

For the icing (approximate amounts):
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons or more lemon juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
For decoration: Use candied fruits or nuts to top the icing. Halved candied cherries are both festive and colorful.

Preparation:

In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, and set aside. Measure and set aside the cardamom seeds, citron and ground almonds.  (The cardamom can be crushed using a mortar and pestle or by placing the seeds in a Baggie and pounding them with a small hammer or metal pounder.)

Scald and cool the honey (liquefy in a saucepan or set in a bowl in a microwave oven at medium). Using a large mixing bowl, mix together by hand the honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, and the lemon zest. Add the egg, already beaten, to the bowl, beating again it to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, blending until combined. Add the crushed cardamom, seeds, chopped citron, and ground almonds and mix until combined. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature for 24 to 72 hours before baking.

When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter the cookie sheets.

Prepare the icing: Mix confectioners sugar, lemon and cream with a fork or a small whisk in a bowl until smooth and free of sugar lumps.  Icing should be opaque when spread on the warm cookie. Add more sugar as needed.

Roll the dough, using about 2 cups at a time, on a floured work surface, into a sheet ¼ to ½ inch thick. Use a floured rolling pin (or your floured hands) to press the dough into a workable disk. If the dough is too soft, stir in a small amount of flour, making it easier to work with. Cut the dough into bars or squares using a long, sharp knife, or cut the dough using round or heart shaped cookie cutters. Flour the cutting utensils. Re-mix the scraps into the bowl, so they are not wasted. Cookies will round out and puff up while baking.

Bake the cookies until very lightly colored, about 7 to 8 minutes, depending on how many cookies and cookie sheets are in the oven at one time. Transfer the cookies immediately to cooling racks. Ice and decorate the cookies while they are still warm. Optional: Place sheets of wax paper under cooling racks to catch the icing drips, making clean up easier.

Allow the cookies to cool and the icing to dry completely before storing in tins or other airtight containers. To maximize freshness, line stored layers of cookies with wax paper. The texture and taste of Lebkuchen improve with age. Wait a few days after baking to consume, if possible.