Lebkuchen Spice Bars Food

GERMAN LEBKUCHEN BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Combine brown sugar, butter, 1/3 cup honey, egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and lemon zest in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, cloves and nutmeg; beat at low speed until well mixed. Stir in blanched almonds and raisins.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
• Stir together all glaze ingredients in bowl until smooth. Drizzle over bars. Garnish with candied cherries and almonds, if desired.

LEBKUCHEN SPICE MIX (LEBKUCHENGEWURZ)

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Store in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Kept in a dark, cool place, the mix will stay fresh for 1 year.

LEBKUCHEN (GERMAN HONEY BARS)

Steps:

• Honey bars:
• Heat honey and water in a large heavy saucepan until runny. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in brown sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the honey mixture and stir just until combined. Add almonds, citron, and candied orange peel. Stir until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 1 month.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper so it extends over the 2 long sides.
• Firmly press the dough into the prepared pan to form a smooth, even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes.
• Citrus glaze and decoration:
• In a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. While the lebkuchen is still warm, spread glaze evenly over the top.
• Mark into bars by cutting into the lebkuchen about ¼ inch deep with a knife. Decorate, if desired, by placing 1 candied cherry in the center of each bar. And arrange 4 blanched almonds around each cherry.
• Let stand in the pan on a rack until completely cool and the icing is set. Using the overhanging parchment as handles, transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars. If possible, let the cookies age for at least 2 weeks to allow the spices to ripen. Lebkuchen will keep for months in an airtight container.

MA B'S LEBKUCHEN (GERMAN SPICE BARS) RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Beat together the eggs, salt, vanilla, and sugar until light and fluffy (best if done with an electric mixer) Add the butter and molasses and thoroughly combine. Mix in the flour, cocoa and spices then fold in the almonds if using. Spread batter evenly in a 9" greased square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Prepare the glaze while the bars are still warm by mixing the powdered sugar with just enough water to make it a glaze texture. Pour over the bars while still warm. Serve from the pan while still warm or out of the pan once cooled and glaze has set.

LEBKUCHEN (SPICE BARS)

Steps:

• Stir together the spices, salt flour, and baking powder.
• Stir in the almonds and lemon rind.
• In a separate bowl beat the eggs and sugar until a ribbon is formed when the beater is removed.
• Stir in the honey and milk.
• Gradually stir in the flour mixture; beat until smooth.
• Spread the batter in an 11 X 17-inch jelly roll pan that is well greased and floured.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake is done.
• While the cake is still warm, turn it out onto a wire rack.
• To make the almond glaze, mix the confectioners' sugar, almond extract, rum, and 1 to 2 T of water.
• Beat until glaze is smooth and of the right consistency.
• Add more water to thin if neccessary.
• Spread the warm cake with the almond glaze.
• Cut cake into 1 X 2 1/2-inch bars while still warm.
• Spice bars keep 6 to 8 weeks in a sealed container if not glazed.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange backoblaten (German baking wafers) on top, leaving a 1-inch space between them.
• Combine almond flour, sugar, eggs, ground hazelnuts, candied lemon and orange peel, ground cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and ground cloves and mix into a firm dough.
• Shape mixture into balls. Arrange balls on the prepared wafers; press gently to flatten into 1/2-inch-high rounds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light brown in color, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Cover the top of each lebkuchen with chocolate.

APPLESAUCE SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Position oven rack in center; preheat oven to 350°; butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, line bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour; tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat; add in the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute; remove pan from the heat.
• Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are blended.
• Add in the applesauce, vanilla, and applejack; whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth.
• Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear, then mix in the apple, raisins and nuts.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
• Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the bars just start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife comes out clean.
• Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let cake cool while you make the glaze.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter, and corn syrup; put pan over medium heat and bring mixture to a boil, whisking frequently.
• Adjust the heat so the glaze simmer, and cook, whisking frequently for 5 minutes; remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the bars onto another rack, so they are right side up.
• Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher.
• Grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the bars, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake.
• Let them cool to room temperature before you cut them.
• Cut into 32 rectangles, each about 2 ¼ x 1 ½ inches.

FRUIT PRESERVE BARS

Steps:

• Cream the butter and the brown sugar together.
• Add the flour and the baking soda; mix well. Blend in extract.
• Stir in oats.
• Spread mixture in bottom of greased 13x9 inch pan.
• Spread with preserves to within 1/2 inch of outer edge of pan.
• Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes.
• Cool and cut into bars.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease 13x9 inch pan
• Note 1: Experiment with different flavor combinations of extract, nuts and preserves.
• Note 2: Oats can be old-fashioned or quick, but not instant.

HOLIDAY LEBKUCHEN (GERMAN SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Cover almonds with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes and drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Pat almonds dry and remove skin. Allow almonds to dry on paper towels.
• Place half the almonds in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add apricots and dates; pulse until fruit is chopped. Reserve remaining 1 cup almonds.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, cloves, cardamom, and salt in bowl. Beat eggs, brown sugar, honey, molasses, water, almond extract, orange zest, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add apricot mixture, blending until evenly distributed. Gradually stir in flour mixture on medium speed until dough comes together. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2 to 3-inch diameter cookie cutter. Arrange cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Lightly press 3 almonds into each cookie with tips towards the center to create a star pattern.
• Bake in preheated oven until cookies begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, whisk confectioners' sugar, milk, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in a bowl until glaze is smooth. Brush warm cookies with glaze and allow cookies to cool completely.