Lebkuchen
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup honey
- Âľ cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (4 ounces) very finely chopped walnuts
- ½ cup very finely chopped candied peel
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions:
The dough must be chilled for at least 4 hours or overnight. The cookies can be baked up to 2 months ahead. Age the cookies for at least 3 days before serving.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, brown sugar, egg, lemon zest and juice, and 2 tablespoons water. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, then the walnuts and candied orange peel. If the dough seems too dry, sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix with your hands until moistened. Gather up the dough. Divide the dough into 2 flat disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. (If chilled overnight, allow the dough to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out. The dough will crack if it is too cold.)
- Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough into a ½-inch rectangle, about 12 × 8 inches. Using a sharp knife, trim the dough to a 7½ × 10-inch rectangle, discarding the trimmings. Cut the dough into 20 bars. Place the bars on cookie sheets lined with nonstick baking pads, about 1 inch apart. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. (If you want to make St. Nicholas cookies, roll out the dough, skip trimming the edges, and cut the dough with a St. Nicholas–shaped cookie cutter.)
- Bake, switching the positions of the cookie sheets from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
- To make the icing, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and almond extract. Stir in 2 tablespoons water to make a thin, spreadable icing. Using a small metal spatula, spread the icing over the tops of the cookies, and let stand until the icing is dry. If making St. Nicholas cookies, attach the paper stamps to the icing and let dry.