Lebkuchen (German Soft Gingerbread Cookies)

Yield: 44 (50mm) cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 1 cup (227g) heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (60g) almond flour
• ¼ cup (43g) candied lemon and/or orange peel, minced*
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (213g) dark brown sugar
• ½ cup (170g) unsulfured molasses
• Küchle 50mm Back Oblaten (German Baking Wafers)

Chocolate Glaze:

• 7 ounces (200g) dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 tsp coconut oil, warmed

Sugar Glaze:

• 1 cup (114g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp whole milk

*You can use store-bought candied citrus peel, but we definitely recommend making your own! If you’re going to make the candied citrus peel yourself, do it the day before you’re going to bake the lebkuchen.

Directions

1. Combine cream and vinegar in a small bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes until thickened.
2. Heat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, candied citrus peel, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium-high until light and fluffy.
5. Add thickened cream, beating until incorporated and smooth.
6. Add half of the flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until it’s almost all incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Repeat once more with rest of flour mixture.
7. Place back oblaten (baking wafers) on baking sheets. Using a small cookie scoop, place a mound of cookie dough on each wafer. Gently flatten each cookie mound with your palm.
8. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Once lebkuchen are totally cool, make the glazes. In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate in microwave in 30-second increments until it’s mostly melted. Add coconut oil, mixing to combine and melt the rest of the chocolate. Mixture needs to cool down some but remain pourable.
11. In another small bowl, whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth.
12. Dip tops of half of the cookies into the chocolate glaze. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then invert lebkuchen and place on lined baking sheet.
13. Dip tops of the other half of lebkuchen in sugar glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Place on lined baking sheet and allow glazes to harden.

Did you try this recipe? Tag @fikabrodbox or #fikabrödbox!

Adapted from: Jeffrey Morgenthaler for Food & Wine