Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen are a classic German Christmas confection, similar to our gingerbread. They are soft, spiced biscuits that are decorated in various ways, often covered with chocolate or icing. Here is the recipe to prepare Lebkuchen with a small Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 250 g of flour
• 85 g of ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of Lebkuchen spice mix (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, cardamom, ginger)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 g of chestnut honey (to add an Italian touch)
• 50 g of butter
• 1 large egg
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange (again to add an Italian touch)
• For the icing: confectioners’ sugar, water, and lemon juice or melted dark chocolate, as desired

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and a pinch of salt.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the honey with the butter until they become liquid, then let them cool slightly.
3. Add the warm honey and orange zest to the dry ingredient mix. Mix well.
4. Incorporate the egg and knead until the mixture is homogeneous.
5. Form balls of the dough or roll it out and cut with cookie cutters. If you don’t have a cutter, you can form a rectangle with the dough to be cut into rectangles or squares after baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and let the dough rest in the fridge for about two hours.
7. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
8. Allow to cool completely before decorating with icing or melted chocolate.

For the icing, mix confectioners’ sugar with very little water and lemon juice until you obtain a thick but spreadable consistency, or melt some dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, and then spread it on the cookies.

Curiosity

Lebkuchen have a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. They originate from the German city of Nuremberg, famous for its Christmas markets. The recipe has been perfected over the centuries, and today these cookies are a symbol of the approaching holiday season throughout Germany, and now in many other places of the world.