Lebkuchen I Recipes

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with parchment., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses, buttermilk and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice, cardamom and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in walnuts., Place raisins, dates, lemon peel, coconut, orange peel and pineapple in a food processor; pulse until chopped. Stir into batter; press into prepared pan. Bake 25-28 minutes or until lightly browned., For glaze, in a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in confectioners' sugar. Spread over warm bars. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

GERMAN LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the egg, brown sugar and honey until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice; stir into the molasses mixture. Stir in the almonds and candied fruit peel. Cover or wrap dough, and chill overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into 2x3 inch rectangles. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. While still warm, brush the cookies with the lemon glaze.
• To make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the egg white, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Brush over cookies.

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Tip the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Heat the honey and butter in a pan over a low heat until the butter melts, then pour into the flour mixture along with the lemon zest. Mix well until the dough is combined and fairly solid. Cover and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Using your hands, roll dough into about 30 balls, each 3cm wide, then flatten each one slightly into a disk. Divide the biscuits between two baking trays lined with baking parchment, leaving room for them to expand. Bake for 15 mins, then cool on a wire rack.
• To ice the biscuits, mix together the icing sugar, egg white and 1-2 tbsp water to form a smooth, runny icing. Dip the top of each biscuit in the icing and spread with the back of a knife. Leave to dry out in a warm room.

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Pulse almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add candied peels and dates, and pulse until finely chopped. Add almond paste, and pulse to combine. Add jam, and pulse. Add eggs and brown sugar, and pulse. Add flour mixture, and pulse. Transfer dough to an airtight container, and refrigerate overnight (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop (1/4 cup), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 3 inches apart. Place 3 almonds close together on top of each cookie. Bake until golden brown, about 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk, and brush over cooled cookies. Let stand until set.

LEBKUCHEN I

Steps:

• Spray bottom and sides of a 10 x15 inch glass pan with a non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, heat the honey and 1/3 cup sugar in a microwave for 1 minute. Pour this mixture into a medium mixing bowl.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to the honey mixture. Stir well.
• Add and mix in by hand the candied fruit, oil, and spices.
• Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups more flour. Knead dough to mix (dough will be stiff). Spread into pan. Bake for 20 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Cut into squares. May be frosted with sugar glaze or eaten plain. Best if stored for 2 weeks.

LEBKUCHEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Prepare the Cookies: In a 1½ quart saucepan, combine the honey and muscovado sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir gently until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture just begins to come to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool until warm to touch. Whisk in the egg and lemon zest and juice.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• On low speed, stir in the wet ingredients until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Laura's Note: This will be slack and loose, don't worry! Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled ceramic bowl and cover with a plate - you want the dough to be able to breathe.
• Allow the dough to "ripen" at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days - do not refrigerate. (The large amount of honey and sugar will keep bacteria at bay.)
• Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Turn out the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to a ¼-inch/6 mm thickness. Use a bench scraper or thin spatula to get under the dough and scoot it around in the flour occasionaly to prevent sticking. Cut shapes with 2-inch/5 cm cutters and place 1 inch/2½ cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sweep away any excess flour with a pastry brush.
• Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. (Watch closely, as honey in the dough can make the edges catch and burn quickly.)
• Prepare the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, egg white, lemon juice, and salt for a smooth, thin, runny glaze. (Add a few drops of lemon juice, as needed, to achieve this consistency).
• Let the cookies firm up and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Run an offset spatula under the cookies to gently looesn them from the parchment paper, leaving them on the sheets.
• While still warm, brush the cookies with glaze and transfer to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool and the glaze to dry completely.
• The secret to a perfect lebkuchen texture is in the resting phase: place the cookies into airtight containers in layers, seperated by parchment or wax paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container before sealing. Store in a cool place for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the cookies to ripen once more before serving.

EASY GERMAN LEBKUCHEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the ground spices in a small bowl or jar.
• Cover and set aside.
• This recipe makes a little more spice mix than you need for these cookies. Feel free to add more spice mix to the cookies if you'd like a stronger flavor.
• Wash oranges and lemons.
• Zest the citrus using a microplane.
• Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
• Add zest and stir.
• Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain out the liquid and let the candied zest cool in a small bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
• This recipe will likely make a little more candied zest than you need for these cookies. Feel free to add more if you'd like a stronger flavor.
• Use a food processor to grind the almonds and hazelnuts until they're like crumbs. (But be careful that you don't grind so long that they turn into nut butter! It's ok if you have some larger nut chunks.They don't all have to be the same size.) Set ground nuts aside.
• Add the brown sugar, Lebkuchen Spice Mix, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl (or the food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer). Mix with a whisk or spoon until combined
• Add the candied zest and mix again.
• Add the nuts and mix.
• Add the spice mix and stir.
• And then add the honey and mix again.
• Whisk the eggs in a small bowl, then add the eggs to the dough and mix again.
• The dough should be pretty thick at this point.
• At this stage you can cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Or you bake your cookies right away.
• When you're ready to bake your cookies, pre-head your oven to 325F/160C.
• Place the Oblaten wafers on a lined baking tray (if using).
• If using the 70mm size, spoon 2 tablespoons dough onto the middle of each wafer. If your dough immediately flattens out and spills out over the wafer, add more ground nuts (try grinding another 1/4 to 1/2 cup).
• Ideally you want the baked cookies to cover the entire wafer while keeping a domed shape. You can use lightly damp fingers to gently spread the dough towards the edge of the Oblaten. I just barely spread the dough towards the edges.
• For the cookies you want to eat plain (no glaze), you can press almonds into the dough at this stage. I totally forgot to do that so my plain cookies are very plain (still tasty, though)!
• Bake the cookies for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are browned. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
• Add powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract, and rum extract (optional) to a small bowl and mix until there are no lumps. Adjust powdered sugar and water as needed. The sugar glaze in the recipe below should be enough to glaze half of the cookies, so double it if you want to use it for all of the cookies.
• Chop the dark chocolate and add a bit of oil (vegetable, coconut, etc). Slowly melt the chocolate in the microwave on 15-20 second intervals or in a double boiler on stove (or place a glass bowl over a saucepan that has simmering water it in). Stir frequently. When 3/4 of the chocolate has melted, simply keep stirring to melt the rest. If you want all of your cookies to have a chocolate glaze, double the recipe.
• Use a pastry brush to apply the sugar or chocolate glaze to the top of the cookies. You can also dip the cookies in the glaze (I found it easiest to use the pastry brush).
• Add almonds (whole blanched, slivered or sliced) to decorate the top of the cookies before glaze sets.
• Let the glaze dry on the cookies for 12-24 hours. Store in an airtight container with wax paper between layers of cookies. They'll keep for at least a couple weeks, longer in the freezer.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN LEBKUCHEN (NüRNBERGER ELISENLEBKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Toss the candied lemon and orange peel with about 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to keep it from sticking together and then pulse in a food processor until finely minced. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar, honey and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• Add the ground almonds and hazelnuts, salt, baking powder, Lebkuchengewürz, and candied lemon and orange peels and stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. (You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for about 2 minutes). The mixture will be wet but if it is too thin to scoop onto the oblaten add some more almond or hazelnut meal.
• Scoop the mixture onto the Backoblaten, smoothing down the top and leaving just a slight space around the edges. Set them on a lined cookie sheet.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet and allow to cool completely.
• Once cooled, place a wire rack over a cookie sheet (to catch the drippings). Dip half the Lebkuchen in the chocolate glaze and half in the sugar glaze, letting the excess drip back into the bowl and then place the Lebkuchen on the wire rack. Arrange 3 almonds on each Lebkuchen while the glaze is still wet. Let the Lebkuchen dry completely until the glaze is hardened.
• Keep stored in an airtight container. Will keep for several weeks and the flavor improves with time.
• Makes about 35 if using 70mm Backoblaten and about 25 if using 90mm Backoblaten.

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir together the honey and molasses. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lastly the egg.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the citron and hazelnuts. Cover dough and chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Using a small amount of dough at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into small rectangles and place them 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until no imprint remains when touched lightly.
• Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar.
• Quickly brush the icing over the cookies while they are still hot (Important!) and remove them to wire cooling racks. If icing becomes sugary while brushing cookies, re-heat slightly- adding a little water until crystals dissolve.
• Store in an airtight container with a cup of orange or apple for a few days to mellow. (I never did understand that part of the instructions, and my friend had no clarification - but I take it to mean store with a cut-up apple or orange - maybe a small cup of juice? I don't know - I just stored the cookies in an airtight container by themselves!).

GERMAN LEBKUCHEN COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and allspice.
• In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg and the brown sugar together for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the honey and molasses to the egg/sugar mixture.
• Add all the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Beat until well blended. Your dough will be crumbled, but when pressed together will hold its shape.
• Transfer dough to waxed fabric, plastic wrap, or a storage container with a lid. Wrap it up or cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
• When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350˚F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Remove your dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll dough to a thickness of ¼" to ½". Use a 3" round cookie cutter to cut out circles or use a knife to cut 3" squares.
• Place the cookies an inch apart on a cookie sheet and top with a few sliced almonds. There is no need to press them down as they will stick to the cookie as it rises during baking.
• Bake for 9-10 minutes. They will be done when you can touch the cookie top without leaving an imprint.
• Remove cookies and immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack.
• While the cookies are cooling, combine the ingredients for the icing in a small bowl.
• When the cookies are almost completely cooled, dip the top of each cookie in the icing and spread with the back of a knife. You can also use a pastry brush and brush it on. Place the glazed cookie back on the wire rack to dry.
• After the icing has hardened, store in an airtight container.