Elisabeth Stoll's Lebkuchen (Spice bars) Christmas Baking with SusieJ

Measurements [metric]

For the cookies:

• 5 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk (white is used in icing)
• 2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• Either:
• 3/4 cup almonds, finely chopped or ground
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped or ground
• 2 cup of flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the icing:

• 1 egg white
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp almond flavoring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind nuts in food processor until very fine. My little food processor takes a bit under a minute to grind to the right consistency.

Beat the whole eggs, yolk, and brown sugar on medium speed until well blended and the mixture is very light and has a lot of volume, five to ten minutes. Whisk together the spices, flour, baking powder and ground nuts, and gently fold or mix into the sugar-egg mixture until just blended. Line a rimmed baking with parchment paper, pour mixture into pan and smooth with an offset spatula, making sure to spread all the way to the edges and fill in the corners.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Flip pan, remove pan, remove parchment paper from back of Lebkuchen, and flip Lebkuchen upright.

While the lebkuchen cools, in a small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy (not yet the soft peak stage). Whisk powdered sugar and almond extract into the egg white, until a smooth icing paste forms. It will be fairly stiff but spreadable. Spread on cooling Lebkuchen and allow to cool for another 20 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, gently cut into bars about 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Store in the ubiquitous airtight container, and allow to mellow overnight before eating.

Note: You can omit the nuts and add a bit more flour. Or you may wish to add some (about a half cup?) finely chopped candied fruit. The fruit should probably not be as finely chopped as the nuts.

• Category: Cookies
• Region: Germany