Lebkuchen Cookies
Yield: 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Rye Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pink Peppercorns
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Dried Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Five! Seasoning
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Organic Cane Sugar
1/4 Cup Ginger Sugar
1 Cup Milk
2 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Seville Orange Peel
1/2 Cup Crystallized Ginger
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
1 Cup Finely Chopped Almonds
Confectioners Sugar for Dusting
Until recently I had always believed that I didn't really like Lebkuchen. That is, until I sampled the "real deal" recently in Nuremberg, Germany. It was there that I discovered the official Nuremberg version known as Elisenlbekuchen. Bakers in Nuremburg are very specific about what goes into their cookies - there are even legal descriptions about what can and cannot be used, and how much of certain ingredients is required to earn the cookie a position in good standing. I stocked up on these beauties so that I could enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee, or as a bedtime snack. Amazingly, I never tired of them So I asked one baker if he would share his recipe with me. And believe it or not, he did! Of course, his recipe was for very, very large batches! So I have adapted his recipe, adjusted his quantities, and added some special ingredients of my own. I'm so satisfied with this recipe that I simply couldn't keep it to myself!
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter, sugars, and eggs until light and fluffy. Set aside while you prepare the dry ingredients.
Sift flours, salt, baking powder, and seasonings into a large mixing bowl. Add milk and stir until a dry dough starts to form. Slowly add the creamed butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until you have a stiff dough. Fold in orange peel, ginger, raisins, and crystallized ginger. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours (up to overnight is fine).
Remove dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. With your fingers, pat into a rectangular shaped disc about 3" wide and 3/8" high. Slice dough crosswise into 1 1/2" strips, coat with Ginger Sugar, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicon mat.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Once slightly cooled, dip each cookie into a bowl of confectioners sugar, then place on a baking rack to cool completely.
MorningStar Kitchen Seasonings Featured in this Recipe
Click on images below to learn more about seasonings in this recipe
Vanilla Bean
Sea Salt
Sweet, yet salty, our
Vanilla Bean Sea Salt
makes a rich and flavorful addition to both sweet and savory dishes. Try a little on chicken, vegetables, or salads. Use it as a finishing salt to create an extra layer of flavor in breads, pastries – even cocktails!
Five! Seasoning
At once sweet and savory,
spicy and warm, Five!
has distinctive taste all its
own. Use with pork, poultry, and shell fish; vegetables, rice, and remoulades. And venture out even further by using Five! in some of your baked creations.
Seville
Orange Peel
Used by Scandinavian
chefs as a seasoning for
game and poultry dishes, sauces, wines and liqueurs, our Seville Orange Peel is a must-have for any adventurous Home Chef. Use as the Scandinavians do, and add it to breads, cakes, cookies, too.
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Pink Peppercorns
While they have a fresh,
peppery flavor, pink
peppercorns are not pepper.
They are the fruit of a Brazilian tree that is part of the cashew/mango family. Their sweet, mild flavor works well in delicate sauces, as well as in seafood and poultry dishes. Crush with a mortar and pestle.
Ginger Sugar
Rich, sweet, and warm, our
Ginger Sugar can be used
creatively for both sweet and
savory dishes. Sprinkle some on salmon before grilling, use to add a subtle sweetness to sauces and vinaigrettes, or use as a finishing touch on pastries and desserts.
