COOKIES - German Lebkuchen Rounds

By RHagan

Ingredients

• Glaze:
• 1 cup honey
• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
• 2 ½ cups unsifted flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup finely chipped candied citron
• 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
• cherries and almonds, to decorate
• 5 tbsp rum or water
• 1 cup unsifted powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• 5 tbsp rum or water

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 42mins

Preparation

Step 1

Heat honey in a small pan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in brown sugar, beaten egg, lemon juice and grated lemon peel until blended. Set aside to cook to lukewarm. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Add the honey mixture, then add candied citron and chopped almonds, stirring until well blended (dough will be soft). Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or as long as 2 days. Work with ¼ of dough at a time (keep remaining dough covered and chilled). On a heavily floured board, roll out dough with a floured rolling pin 3/8 inch thick. If white baking disks (60mm to 90mm backoblaten) are used, arrange them at least 1 ½ inches apart on lightly greased baking pans. Cut dough into rounds with a cutter measuring about 1 inch smaller in diameter then the baking disks (1 ½ to 2 inches for 60mm disk or 2 ½ inches for 90mm disk). If parchment paper is used (instead of baking disks), tear off sheets long enough to cover surface of each baking pan, lightly grease. Cut dough into 2 ½ inch rounds and place 2 inches apart on paper lined pans.

To decorate cookies, press a cherry half in center of each round. Surround with 5 almonds arranged as flower petals (or use a quarter cherry and 3 almonds for small cookies). Bake in 375° oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies from oven and immediately spread glaze over tops with a pastry brush. Transfer to racks to cool. (if cookies were baked on parchment paper brush glaze over bottom of cookies as soon as top glaze dries). Makes 20 large (3 ½ inch) or 46 small (2 ½ inch) cookies.

Glaze: Stir together icing sugar and rum or water until smooth.