This week’s recipe
comes from
Uniworld River Cruises.
Ingredients
For Nuremnerg Lebkuchen (gingerbread)
•2/3 cup of honey (or molasses)
• 1 cup sugar
• 21/3 cup of butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2/3 cup of chopped hazelnuts (almonds, cashews
or macadamias will also do)
• 1/3 cup chopped citron (or candied orange,
candied lemon, dried figs or dried dates)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Dash of ginger (optional)
• Grated orange/lemon peel (optional)
For Sugar Glaze
• 1/2 cup of confectioner’s or powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• A touch of vanilla or rum liqueur (optional)
Preparation
Boil the honey, sugar, and butter together for 5
minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Beat one egg
and add to water. Mix and sift flour, baking soda,
salt and spices and add alternately with the liquid
ingredients to the honey mixture. Add chopped
nuts and citron last. Knead the dough and cool. If
the dough is allowed to ripen overnight or several
days before rolling out, the flavor and texture of
the cookies are improved. Roll the dough about
1/4″ thick on a floured board. You may cut dough
mixture into small circles or shapes. Place on a
buttered baking sheet on a tray. Bake at 350°F
degrees for 15 – 20 minutes. Let cool for a few
minutes, then remove the cookies from the tray
to cool even further. Ice with colored icing or a
sugar glaze while still warm. To make a sugar
glaze: dilute 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar with 1/4
cup water in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring
to a boil and boil for a few minutes. You may add
a touch of vanilla or rum liqueur and mix to make
the consistency of thin cream. Sift powdered
sugar over the hot sugary syrup and stir. Using a
pastry brush, brush cookies with the warm glaze.
Let dry completely. Dry glazed cookies for a day
and then store them in an airtight container or in
the freezer.
