German Gingerbread Lebkuchen Food

GERMAN GINGERBREAD "LEBKUCHEN"

Steps:

• In a small pot gently heat the butter, sugar and honey and stir regularly until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• While this is happening, mix together all the other ingredients in a big bowl.
• Then add the liquid honey/butter/sugar mix to this (you'll either need a spoon and strong arms, or a kitchen aid machine with a kneading hook attachment).
• Now leave the dough to rest/cool down for an hour at room temperature.
• Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. (160 if fan-assisted)
• After an hour, roll out the dough to about 1cm thickness and cut out gingerbread men or any other shapes you prefer (if the dough is too sticky, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm-up, or knead it with your hands and add a bit more flour).
• Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper, and bake for approx. 10min. (they will still be slightly soft to the touch; this is what you are aiming for!)
• Once cool, feel free to frost them with icing, sugar pearls, or any other kinds of sweet decoration!

EASY GERMAN LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• •Preheat oven to 350°F.
• •Grease a 15 X 10 X 1-inch baking sheet.
• •In large mixer bowl, beat egg and oil. Add brown sugar and beat well.
• •Add honey and molasses. Mix well.
• •Mix together flour, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda. Add to egg mixture and beat till well mixed.
• •Stir in almonds and candied fruit and peel. Dough will be very thick.
• •Spread in baking pan. Use back of spoon to spread, dipping spoon in water so that dough doesn't stick to spoon.
• •Bake for 15 - 23 minutes or until done.
• •with a sharp knife, score into bars immediately upon removing from oven by just cutting through the top crust.
• •With mixer, in small bowl, beat egg white, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
• •Spread icing over warm bars. Decorate with candied fruit. Cool completely.
• •Cut through completely at the score marks to cut into individual bars.

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Tip the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Heat the honey and butter in a pan over a low heat until the butter melts, then pour into the flour mixture along with the lemon zest. Mix well until the dough is combined and fairly solid. Cover and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Using your hands, roll dough into about 30 balls, each 3cm wide, then flatten each one slightly into a disk. Divide the biscuits between two baking trays lined with baking parchment, leaving room for them to expand. Bake for 15 mins, then cool on a wire rack.
• To ice the biscuits, mix together the icing sugar, egg white and 1-2 tbsp water to form a smooth, runny icing. Dip the top of each biscuit in the icing and spread with the back of a knife. Leave to dry out in a warm room.

LEBKUCHENGEWüRZ (GERMAN GINGERBREAD SPICE)

Steps:

• Combine spices together and store in an airtight container such as a small mason jar.
• Spices stay fresh tasting for up to a year.