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A wonderful German Christmas
tradition that is consumed and enjoyed around the world. Lebkuchen in German
means the "cooking of life." It is thought that the Lebkuchen was probably the
first cookie traditionally associated with Christmas and oldest form of cookie
known to humankind.
This recipe originally came from my children's German
grandmother, Gertrude Zemp. She always made these cookies at least one month in
advance of Christmas, for they improve or mellow with age because of the
addition of whiskey. They will keep approximately six months in an airtight container.
In my house, we can't keep them that long because I can't leave
them alone.
More of Linda's favorite
Apple Recipes,
Cookie
Recipes,
and
Secrets To Making Perfect Cookies. Also learn
How To Have A Successful Holiday Cookie Exchange or Cookie
Swap.
For all your cookie baking
needs such as
cookie sheets,
cookie
cutters,
brownie pans,
wire cooling racks,
cookie
press,
cookie decorating kits,
Silicone Baking Mats, and
more.
German
Lebkuchen Bars Recipe - German Honey Cakes Recipe
Recipe Type:
Cookies,
Christmas Cookie,
Bar Cookies,
Honey
Cuisine: German
Yields: 3 dozen bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients:
5 cups sifted all-purpose
flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ground cinnamon
2 cups finely-chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped candied citron*
1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
2 cups honey
2 cups granulated
sugar
4 tablespoons whiskey
3
eggs, well beaten
Milk Frosting (see recipe below)
* If you can’t find candied citron (which
can be hard to find some years), add additional candied lemon or orange
peel plus a small pinch each of ground cinnamon and black pepper to
stimulate citron’s slightly spice, more complex flavor.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly butter an approximate 12" x 17" x 1" baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, almonds, candied citron, and candied orange peel; set aside.
In the top of a double boiler over hot water, combine honey, sugar, and whiskey; stir until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let mixture cool a little. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add to flour mixture and mix until well blended.
Spread batter onto prepared baking pan. Bake
18 to 20
minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and they are
light brown. Remove from oven and place on a
wire cooling rack.
While bars are baking, prepare Milk
Frosting. While the Lebkuchen is still hot, spread the Milk Frosting onto the top of the baked Lebkuchen with a spatula or a
pastry brush. Let cool, cut into bars, and remove from pan. Store to mellow.
Yields 5 dozen squares.
Milk Frosting:
1 cup
powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and enough milk to make frosting easy to spread.
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