Make these traditional festive biscuits with a good local honey and plenty of spice. They can be eaten right away or as the germans do, stored for weeks and allowed to soften and mellow.
-makes around 30 biscuits-
-makes around 30 biscuits-
Ingredients:
- 120g honey
- 80g butter
- 200g wholewheat flour
- 100g ground almonds (these are best freshly ground)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 ground cloves
- Zest of one orange and 60ml of the juice
- A small handful of whole, raw almonds
- 75g dark chocolate
- 50g icing sugar + 1tbsp boiling water
Method:
- Gently melt butter and honey, pour into a small bowl and place in fridge until cooled (around 5 mins).
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, add orange zest and juice plus honey mixture and stir to combine.
- Place mix in fridge for around one hour.
- Preheat oven to 170C and prepare two trays with baking paper.
- Roll dough into a log of about 3-4cm diameter and cut into approx 30 equal pieces.
- Roll pieces into balls with damp hands, flatten slightly between palms and place on trays with enough space for them to spread. If desired, press one whole almond into a third of the lebkuchen.
- Bake for around 12mins or until just firm, allow to cool completely before icing or storing.
- To glaze: place icing sugar in a small bowl, pour over boiling water and stir until smooth. Dip the top half of the lebkuchen into the icing and place back on rack to set. Do this for one third of the lebkuchen.
- To coat with chocolate: gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler and remove from heat. Dip the top half of the lebkuchen in chocolate and place back on rack to set. Do this for one third of the lebkuchen.