Lebkuchen Hearts – Lebkuchenherzen
These classic German Christmas biscuits are richly spiced and flavoured with mixed peel and cocoa. A wonderful edible gift for lucky family and friends this Christmas.
Introduction
These Lebkuchen are very easy to make and are the type of recipe that many
German households bake in the run-up to Christmas. Hearts are the most popular shape, but stars, Christmas trees, angels and bells all add a festive touch.
I use both flour and ground nuts in this recipe, making these a cross between
Elisenlebkuchen and a traditional spiced honey version. These biscuits are quite sweet owing to the addition of brown sugar, and I feel a frosting would tip the balance over the edge, so I’ve opted simply to decorate them in the traditional manner with blanched almonds and cherries.
Ingredients
| 20g (¹⁄₃ cup minus 1 tbsp) | runny honey |
| 120g (²⁄₃ cup minus 1 tbsp) | dark brown sugar |
| 65g (4½ tbsp) | unsalted butter |
| 115g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) | plain (all- purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting |
| 115g (1 cup plus ½ tbsp) | rye flour |
| 75g (²⁄₃ cup) | ground almonds (almond flour) |
| 1 | egg |
| 2½ tsp | Lebkuchen- gewürz or 1 tsp ground cinnamon mixed with 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp ground cardamom |
| ½ tbsp | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| ½ tsp | bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) |
| 30g (1oz) | mixed peel, finely chopped |
| finely grated zest of ½ lemon | |
| Pinch of | fine sea salt |
| To decorate: | |
|---|---|
| 1 | egg white, loosened with a fork |
| 15 | blanched almonds |
| 5 | glacé cherries, quartered |
Essential kit
You will need: a rolling pin and a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Method
Heat the honey, sugar and butter in a small saucepan over a gentle heat,
until melted and blended together, stirring from time to time to avoid
sticking. Set aside.
Put the remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl, pour over the melted honey mixture and stir everything together with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough is formed. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside for 1 hour – it will become much less sticky and easier to work with after this rest.
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm/1/8in thickness. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, stamp out hearts and place them 2cm/¾in apart on the prepared sheets. Re-roll the dough offcuts into more biscuits. Brush the top of each heart with egg white and place either an almond or a cherry quarter in the centre of each.
Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Allow to cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container, where they will keep for a month or more. (I add a slice of apple to sit in the tin alongside these to help them soften quickly and stay soft, but they will soften gradually without the help of the apple too. It all boils down to whether or not you like a hard cookie or a soft one.)
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