Gingerbread Baseler Basler Leckerli Food

GINGERBREAD, BASELER (BASLER LECKERLI)

Steps:

• 1. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
• 2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a small bowl.
• 3. Combine honey and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, swirling pan a few times to combine mixture. Boil for 2 minutes; make sure sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
• 4. Whisk in Kirschwasser (be careful, as mixture may bubble up). Stir in candied peels and almonds, then stir in flour mixture. Scrape into baking pan, spreading batter evenly. Allow to sit for 1 hour; the texture and flavor improve with time.
• 5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• 6. Place pan on rack to cool. Cut into 35 bars (5 x 7) before glazing, but leave in pan.
• 7. Meanwhile, whisk together glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Spread in a thin, even layer over cooled bars.
• 8. Rescore bars while glaze is warm; glaze will crack if you try to cut it after cooling.
• 9. Cookie Tip: To fancy these up, slice candied cherry halves and use these and bits of candied fruit or nuts to make designs on each bar. You can make somewhat abstract flower shapes or just create a little cluster of candied fruit to add color in a pretty pattern.
• 10. This spicy bar cookie is made in one saucepan and starts with boiling honey. This unusual technique gives it a very chewy texture, so do not expect a soft, cakey bar. These have substance and lots of flavor from the Kirschwasser (clear cherry brandy), candied citrus peel, honey, almonds, and spices. These improve in texture and flavor after a few days, so plan ahead.
• 11. LIFESPAN Up to 6 days at room temperature in airtight container, but at their best after 3 or 4 days.

BASLER LECKERLI (SWISS CHRISTMAS COOKIE BARS)

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper that sticks up at least one inch (2.5 cm) on each side.
• Finely chop the almonds and candied peel. You can do this by hand or in the food processor (much easier). For the food processor, chop the almonds coarsely first, then add the peel and process together until they are evenly ground, with little chunks of the nuts still remaining.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the chopped nuts, peel, lemon zest, flour, spices, baking powder, and salt.
• Heat the honey and sugar in a small pot on the stove until the sugar is melted and the honey is warm. Do not allow it to boil.
• Pour the hot honey over the flour mixture and stir or mix (in the stand mixer) until the batter is blended into a thick, sticky dough. It will be very firm.
• Divide the dough in two and put half into each prepared pan. Use a metal spoon to scrape the remaining dough out of the mixing bowl and add it to the rest.
• Using damp fingers (keep dipping them in water as needed), push and pat the dough into a 9" x 13" (23 x 33 cm) rectangle on each cookie sheet. Work quickly while the dough is still warm, as it gets harder to work with as it cools. This takes effort and muscle. Pinch off pieces of dough from the thicker spots and press them into the thinner spots until the rectangle is of even thickness. Pat the top smooth with damp fingertips. Dock the dough all over with a fork (poke the fork straight down through the batter until it touches the cookie tin, 1 to 2 inches apart, all over the dough rectangle). Trim off excess parchment paper so it sticks up no more than one inch (2.5cm) above the cookie dough.
• Allow the pans to rest at room temperature, covered with a clean dish towel, for two hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Bake the cookie sheets for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating them halfway and using a spatula to press down any parts of the dough that have bubbled or bulged up. The edges of the dough should just be starting to brown.
• While the cookies are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
• Brush the glaze all over the top of the two cookie rectangles as soon as they come out of the oven.
• While still warm, lift the cookie slabs from the cookie sheets using the parchment paper to hold onto, and transfer them onto a large cutting board. Cut the cookie slabs into 1" x 2" (2.5 x 5 cm) bars. You can trim off a thin strip from the outside edges first, if desired. Use a large, sharp knife and work quickly to cut the cookies while still warm, as they are hard to cut once they cool.
• Allow the cookies to cool.
• Store the cookies in an airtight, covered container. The are best if left for at least a week to soften and mellow the flavours, but need a minimum of one day in the container before they should be eaten.
• The cookies will keep for up to two months, in a sealed container at cool room temperature and up to six months in the freezer (age at room temperature for one week before freezing). If you're storing the cookies at room temperature and they get too hard, put a few wedges of apple or some orange peels into the container with them and after a few days they will have softened considerably.
• Make 8 dozen Basler Leckerli cookie bars (that sounds like a lot, but they are small and keep forever! (They freeze well, too).

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.

SWISS BASLER LECKERLI (BASEL COOKIES)

Steps:

• Put honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove powder and nut meg in a pan, heat up slowly, then remove from stove.
• Add candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, almonds and grind skin of lemon, stir until mixed evenly.
• Add kirsch, flour and baking powder, knead on a table to form a soft dough.
• While the dough is still warm, roll it out on the back of a greased baking sheet approximately 5 mm (0.2 inches) thick.
• Let it rest for about 5 to 6 hours or over night in a dry place.
• Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes in the center of the pre-heated oven at 430°F(220°C).
• Mix confectioner's sugar and kirsch or water, frost dough immediately.
• Cut off stale edges.
• Cut dough in small pieces (5 x 3 cm, 2 x 1.5 inches), take them off the baking sheets and let them cool.

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!