Happy Christmas Pink Whiskers! Today is the start of The Pink Whisk’s Twelve Days of Christmas. One Christmassy baking idea each day for the next twelve days – a great way to kick start your Christmas Baking! Hopefully you’ll enjoy the recipes, so put your Christmas hat on and get baking.
Ruth
xx
On the first day of Christmas The Pink Whisk sent to me (yes you have to sing it!) Lebkuchen
Ingredients:
85ml honey
115g dark brown sugar
30g butter
225g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, beaten
50g ground almonds
To ice:
25g icing sugar sifted
2 tsp water
Makes 24 biscuits.
In a large pan place the honey, sugar and butter. It does need to be a large pan as we will be making the dough in it. Heat over a gentle flame until the butter and sugar have melted. Remove from the heat.
Sift together the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda.
Beat the egg in a small dish. (Don’t mix it in a mug – I have lost count of the amount of times I have sipped egg thinking it was my cup of tea!)
Add one half of the flour mixture and half of the egg to the pan and mix well.
Repeat with the remaining flour and egg.
Finally add in the ground almonds and mix till thoroughly combined.
The dough now needs to be chilled, it is very sticky and will seem along way away from being a biscuit dough but don’t worry.
Place it in a plastic bag, an easy way of doing this is to fold a bag over the inside of a large jug and tip the dough in.
Chill overnight in the fridge, in fact you can leave this dough to develop it’s flavours in the fridge for up to three days.
The following day remove the dough from the fridge and roll out between two sheets of greaseproof paper to approx 5mm thick.
Preheat the oven to 160c Fan/180c/Gas Mark 4.
Crack out the christmas cutters, hooray!, and cut out your biscuits. Lay them spaced well apart on a greased or lined baking tray. The biscuits will spread on baking so I have found that 1″ cutters are the best to use.
(There is only one baking tray I have that doesn’t need greasing and is super non-stick, it’s the baking tray in the Tefal Airbake range, for all the others I use the reusable sheets of bake o-glide – even I can’t stick anything to bake-o-glide – I’ve put the links at the end of the post if you’re interested xx)
Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for five minutes on the tray to firm up a little before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
Mix up a really watery icing glaze combining your sifted icing sugar with the water.
Line up the lebkuchen on a wire rack, I cover the work top in a layer of cling film to make cleaning up much easier later on!
Using a pastry brush glaze the tops of the biscuits by brushing on a thin layer of icing. Apply a second coat and leave to dry.
The biscuits will keep for up to three weeks in an airtight container – that’s if you can resist eating them.
Tefal Airbake Cookie Sheet - John LewisBake-O-Glide – John Lewis
Stunningly delicious Lebkuchen
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
Finalist on BBC2 The Great British Bake Off
How long will these last Ruth? My Gran would love them for Christmas!
Do you have to chill overnight? Could you get away with a few hours? Just thinking might make these with my kids today and not sure they would take well to 'now we'll finish these tomorrow'!
Gorgeous! x
Your Lebkuchen look wonderful! I love Lebkuchen but have never made them from scratch. I look forward to giving your recipe a try
Alison – think you would get away with a couple of hours chilling just to firm up the dough x
Elaine – they will keep for three weeks in an airtight container xx
These look yummy. Going to make up the dough tonight and they should be ready to bake on my day off on Friday. Your 12 days of Christmas recipes are inspired. Well done Ruth, thank you.
Having a few problems printing the recipe but luckily my lap top will suffice in the kitchen.
I love lebkuchen, never even thought to make it, so you never know I might just have to buy the bits I need and get baking them!!
(Not good for the diet though LOL)
I am sure gonna try this.
I'd promised my daughter we'd make cookies this afternoon, so we'll give these a try. They look great!
Hi Ruth
I've never known the answer to this but I've just realised you might be able to answer it for me?
I'm allergic to nuts so annoyingly can never bake recipes that have ground almonds in. Can you recommend a substitute? More flour, ground rice? I'm
never sure.
Thanks.
12 days of Christmas is a lovely idea.
Rochelle
I was going to ask how long they would last!!!! I'm such a piggy!! Love lebkuchen as it reminds me of a fab weekend in Berlin in Dec 2005! Right … off to get baking!
Hi
I made lebkuchen at the weekend but I think I left them in the oven a couple of minutes too long as they went very hard.
If you dunk them in your tea though they still taste great!
Maggie
hi ruth, going to give this lovely recipe a try over the weekend!
cant wait for the other 11 days of christmas recipes now!
thankyou ruth xx
I am so going to make those!
I always beat my egg in a mug – but I don't drink tea/coffee so am unlikely to take a swig.
Brings back wonderful memories of wandering around the Christmas markets with a mug of Gluhwein in one hand and lebkuchen in the other (only for as long as I could stand without gloves on though!).
I'm halfway through – baking will be my post-lecture treat tomorrow afternoon
I ended up putting in 2 eggs as the mixture seemed really dry and quite hard to work with…fingers are crossed that they don't end up just tasting of egg!!
Rochelle – ground rice is a good substitute for ground almonds – my mum used to make Congress Tarts with that instead of almonds in the 50's.
I can't wait to make these lebkuchen at the weekend & if they turn out well will make some as presents!
I lived in Germany for a year and was addicted to Lebkuchen. They are so Christmassy. I will be using your recipe, it sounds much easier than I thought they would be. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
well that gives me something to do on this Snow Day!
Just taken a batch of lebkuchen out of the oven. They smell gorgeous. I'm going to add a drop of lemon juice to the icing, I think it'll offset the honey and ginger nicely.
Just made the dough for this- can't wait to roll and cook it tomorrow!
Not going to lie, may have eaten some straight from the pan- it tasted so good! Hope the actually finished product is even half as good!
Really looking forward to making these over the weekend and giving them as little gifts for Christmas in bags tied with gingham ribbon! thanks Ruth
I wondered if you would like to do a guest post on my blog? You have amazing baking skills. I would love it if you could do a mini tutorial of your choice. Do let me know if this is something you would be interested in.
Thanks
Sian
Hi there, loving the blog – especially all the photos which make it really straightforward to know if you're doing the right thing!
I found the dough (chilled for 48 hours) incredibly stiff to roll even between the greaseproof paper as you wisely suggested. I have popeye muscles now! The first rolling was more like 1cm thick although I got better… anyway even the thinner biscuits puffed up beautifully in the oven but don't look gloriously domed as your final pic shows… am I doing something wrong? Maybe not cooking quite long enough to 'set' them?
Ooh and I came up with my own top tip – when gathering the scraps to reroll, turn the bag you chilled the dough inside out and put your hand in it to squidge them back together without getting uber sticky yourself
Thanks for the inspiration – I'm making a tin of goodies for my gran for Christmas (who loves lebkuchen) and these will be the star attraction.
Lydia
OOooooOOOoooh a little late but think im going to make these goodies..for me
and if i have to share ill let my family have one! ha ha
….Did you mean cinnamon …before i go on the hunt for something that might not exist in sainbury's?
he he
Hee hee – yes cinnamon, spot the deliberate mistake! xx
Helo, Ruth. I came across your blog by accident but I have very happily made your Christmas cookies. I did change the recipe slightly – I had no ginger (though I didn't find that out until I started making them!!!) so I missed that out and I discovered afterwards that I'd used dandelion jam instead of honey! However they have a similar taste so it didn't matter too much. I used a squirt of lemon juice in the icing as well.
My mixture made 40 cookies so I've been happily giving them away to friends. I need to make more now for my Pink Whisk inspired Mulled Wine and Cookies event! I may well make some sausage rolls too. Thanks for the inspiration!
I'd like to make these for my brother at the weekend and he's allergic to almonds. Although someone already said that you can substitute ground rice, if flour will be ok that would be easier, or something else that would be readily available at home.
Any suggestions for replacing it?
I really enjoy your blog, made the blackberry, ginger and mint cakes for my mum's 50th and everyone raved about them!
To replace the almonds I would use plain flour, but you may need slightly less flour than almonds xx
Awesome! I've always loved these and now i'm lactose intolerant I can't eat the packet ones (which usually seem to contain lactose for some reason)…can't wait to try making these at home
Oh, and feel like a total bumhead for wracking my brain wondering what connamon is for far too long!
Hi Ruth, first of all I have to say I love your blog, it's amazing!
I've made lebkuchen today, but they have turned out very flat and dry.. the taste is ok, but they don't look like yours! I followed the recipe carefully,but why do you think they turned out so flat??
Hi Lilly – hmmm sounds like not enough liquid maybe the egg was on the small side? also check when measuring sticky liquids you have the right amount and then make sure it all ends up being added to the mix, lastly it could be that the butter and sugar was heated too much so that it decreased in quantity – trouble with baking is there are so many variables that can affect the end result – best idea is to give it another go keeping an eye on all those points! xx
I do wish I had found your Lebkuchen recipe sooner as I don't think I have any dark brown sugar…may have to brave the Christmas Eve supermarket queues to give these a try. They look delicious and your recipe sounds much simpler than some I have found online. Merry Christmas!
Having seen Ruth on the Great British Bake-off I'm sure her lebkuchen are delicious, but something has gone badly wrong in writing down this recipe. As published on this site IT DOES NOT WORK!!!! We finally got something resembling lebkuchen by doubling the butter/golden syrup/sugar mix, doubling the spices, and tebling the egg. If I made it again, I'd halve the flour, treble the cinamon and double the ginger and nutmeg. Also they need more like 10 minutes in the oven.
….and also, it's nigh on impossible to add the ground amonds to the mix at the end. So another change if I ever make this again is to add the grounnd almonds at the same time as the flour. I'd probably add more ground almonds than the recipe says, replacing some of the flour.
Such a shame they turned out badly for you Chrissie, I can assure you the recipe works its the exact one I have made a million batches of these in the run up to Christmas! Unfortunately unlike cooking baking is very fickle and really is down to correct proportions, it must be honey and not syrup and must be measured accurately and all make it into the mix. The butter/honey/sugar must be melted together gently, not allowed to boil as then it will start to evaporate and decrease in volume. The spicing is personal taste and these are just how I like them! xx
I made these and they were absolutely gorgeous! I'd say very morish!!! I'm gonna make them again tonight and I cant wait. Thanks Ruth for sharing the recipe with us.
I baked these and on the day of baking they tasted delicious – very popular. However, something went wrong because 3 days later they tasted soft like uncooked cookie dough!!! Any ideas what went wrong? I followed the recipe and as I say it all went well, just no idea what happened afterwards! Could it have been the icing???
Lebkuchen are softer on the inside but with a crisp outer. It could be the icing that’s caused it. Make sure the thin icing layer has dried completely before putting them in a tin. They might have absorbed moisture from the icing x
These look perfect for Christmas gifts. Will try and give these a go this year, although I’m unlikely to have any room in my fridge!!!
Hi Ruth! Made your lebkuchen yesterday/ today and they have turned out beautifully. The only thing I would say is that the mixture is very, very sticky (even after being in the fridge for 24 hours!) so would recommend dusting it with some plain flour even though it’s between sheets of baking paper. I say this as when you use the cookie cutters and try to transfer them to the baking tray it can be very difficult when they stick to the cutters/ you!
xxx
Thanks for a wonderful blog and so many brilliant recipes, they’ve taken me from someone who was apathetic about food and never cooked to someone who is in love with food and baking
I agree with Charlotte. Lovely tasty but I was cursing as I was trying to cut them out! But instead of using cutters, i drops small blobs onto the greasproof paper and they sorted themselves out in the oven, coming out as circles. Taste lovely.
Thanks Ruth – I have been hunting high and low for a lebkuchen recipe that comes out nice and soft in the middle – many have been rock hard! I’ve just made a batch of these and the recipe has worked beautifully for me (I baked them for barely 7 minutes and it was a large egg). Based on the one I’ve just sampled, they’ll be fit to give to the neighbours! Thanks.
PS I’m just filling out my application form for GBBO 3 – wish me luck!
Good luck indeed! x
Wow, this recipe makes amazing lebkuchen! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for ages, but have only found ones that seem unnecessarily complicated, and I’m really not one for finicky recipes. Finally found this one (after reading a comment on a lebkuchen recipe on the BBC Good Food website!) and it worked a charm first time round. I diddled with it a bit – added a small pinch of ground cloves and a small pinch of ground white pepper as per a Danish recipe I have. I was in a hurry, so popped the mix in the freezer for about 20 mins until it was a bit less sticky. Didn’t have time to cut shapes, so instead of rolling it out, I just tore little bits off, rolled it between my palms to form a ball, then flattened slightly. Came out with beautiful domed rounds. I couldn’t find my pasty brush, so slapped the icing on with the back of a spoon – did three layers, allowing them to dry in between and they looked ace, just like the real thing! Tasted amazing too, and have already made a second batch this morning. I’m now a Pink Whisk convert!
Pingback: Frohe Weihnachtsyeit! (that’s foreign for something) | cookingfanatic
Came across your blog while looking for a recipe for Lebkuchen. Can’t wait to try your recipe out, and I may possibly guild the lily by coating them in melted chocolate instead of icing
By the way, loved you in GBBO!
Like Harriet, I followed a tip from BBC good food and i’m so glad I did! These were absolutely fantastic! Made them for friends and family this Christmas and they didn’t last long at all
Thank you very much!
I’ve been meaning to post this since before Christmas…these were AMAZING, thanks so much for the recipe! Your rough puff pastry recipe totally rocks as well. I am completely hooked on your blog now – looking forward to what you come up with in 2012!
Thanks for putting up the recipe. I made them for Christmas presents and they went down a storm! Have put a link to this in my blog as there is no way i’d have the patience to photograph every step! Hope you like what i did with them. http://www.didithinkorsaythat.co.uk/food-2/lebkuchen-german-christmas-biscuits/
Pingback: My Blog – Seasonal om nom nom! Secular leberkuchen (fuck you David Cameron)
Pingback: Daring Bakers November Challenge – Christmas Cookies « Heaven on a Spoon
Pingback: Daring Bakers Challenge: Lebkucken « The Baking Process
Would you please do the conversions. I live in the U.S. Would 85 ml of Honey be 2.8 ounces? Four ounces of brown sugar? And 2 tablespoons of butter? And the almonds?
Hi Kelly – there’s a great online converter here http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm which I use a lot! xx
Pingback: The Daring Bakers (half arsed and belated) Challenge November 2012 – Twelve Days of Cookies « Procrastinatingbaker's Blog
I love all your ideas happy christmas Sue
Made these this weekend after saving the recipe (i was in Germany gorging on the real Lebkuchen and Stollen last year when this was posted!) and it’s fantastic. Never have much luck with biscuits, but these were perfect, a very stiff dough, which gave amazing results! I can happily scoff the whole tin of 34 it made
I made these for my friends at work, they were delicious! But rolling out the chilled dough with my pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome from a bumps width away nearly polished me off ;0) x
I loved this recipe
I used crystallised ginger however (I tend to do that with all gingerbread tho). The kids absolutely loved it!
Can’t wait to make these at the weekend for my Christmas hampers! Does the dough freeze well? It would be nice to be able to freeze the cut biscuits and then cook if/when unexpected guests arrive over the holiday. Or for a Christmassy evening snack…
I made these this week and they were a great success! I agree with some of the other posts – my dough was far too sticky to cut into christmas shapes easily. I had some success putting the rolled out dough in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting out, but it was very time consuming. I ended up rolling into marble size balls and then flattening them. They turned out just as well as the ones I had cut out.
I gave my husband a plate of them (about a third of the mixtures worth) and he ate the whole lot!!