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
For most of my life I believed that I didn't 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 Elisenlebekuchen. 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.