Basel Leckerli Swiss Honey Spice Cookie Food

BASELER LECKERLI (SWISS SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and baking soda.
• Combine honey, sugar and water in a small saucepan.
• Place over low heat until the honey just melts- do not let it boil.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• Let cool slightly.
• Add the sifted flour mixture, the almonds, orange peel and lemon zest.
• Blend until the mixture comes together in a heavy, sticky dough, adding a spoonful or two of water if needed.
• (The mixing can be done by hand, but it's labor intensive) Resist the urge to add more water to make the dough easier to handle; it would impair the texture of the finished cookies.
• Spread the dough about 1/2 to 1 inch thick on the baking sheets, forming 3 rectangles, each about 8 x 9 inches.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops turn a medium brown.
• When the dough rectangles have baked, remove pans to a rack and immediately brush the tops with glaze.
• Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Cut into 1 x 3-inch bars or into diamond shapes.
• Transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Ice with a simple sugar glaze.
• Store in airtight containers, placing wax paper between layers.
• Let rest at least 1 week, preferably longer.

BASLER LACKERLI (SWISS SPICED HONEY COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a buttered jelly-roll pan, 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 1-inch, with foil and butter foil.
• Make dough:.
• Chop almonds very fine but not ground, preferably in a food processor. In a bowl whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large heavy saucepan heat honey and granulated sugar over moderately low heat, stirring, just until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and stir in kirsch, orange peel, and almonds. Stir in flour mixture and cool dough 5 minutes.
• With floured hands, press dough evenly into pan. Put dough in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake dough 25 - 30 mins, or until firm but not dry and hard, and cool in pan on a rack. Invert baked dough onto a cutting board. Discard foil and invert baked dough.
• Make glaze:.
• Ina small saucepan heat water with grandulated sugar over moderately low heat, stirring, just until sugar is dissolved. Sift in confectioners' sugar and stir until comined well.
• Pour hot glaze on baked dough and brush evenly over dough, brushing continuously until glaze crystallizes and whitens. Let glazed dough stand 10 minutes Trim off and discard edges of dough and cut into 2 x 1 1/2-inch rectangles. Keep cookies in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

BASLER LECKERLI (SWISS SPICED HARD BARS)

Steps:

• Melt honey very slowly in a pan, add almonds, sugar and swirl until the sugar is melted too.
• Let cool slightly.
• Add all other ingredients until the Kirsch and mix well.
• Add the flour and eventually the baking soda and work to a compact dough.
• Roll the dough out on two greased baking sheets approximately 5 mm thick.
• Store overnight.
• Preheat the oven at 180°C (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven).
• Prepare the glaze heating in a pot water and sugar until boiling point. Reduce the heat but let it boil slowly.
• Bake 15-20 minutes at 180°C (I need 18 minutes).
• In the meanwhile the glaze should be ready. It takes about 15 to 20 Minutes until it thickens, it's bound and crystals appear.
• Remove from the heat but keep on a slightly warm plate.
• When the dough is baked, remove pans to a rack and immediately cut in rectangles (but don't separate them completely) brush the tops with glaze.
• When cooled dived the rectangles and store in airtight containers.
• Note: you can built a gingerbread house with this dough! I used 3 fold quantities for the gingerbread house of the picture!

BASEL LECKERLI SWISS HONEY SPICE COOKIE

Steps:

• Simmer the sugar and honey in a double boiler until melted; cool.
• Add the rest of ingredients except frosting.
• Mix.
• Spread in a thin sheet and bake until done.
• Frost with thin frosting made of lemon and powdered sugar as soon as cookies are baked.