Leckerli Food

LECKERLI

Steps:

• Combine honey and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until honey thins and sugar dissolves; cool slightly.
• Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a large bowl.
• Add almonds, candied orange and lemon peels; mix to coat.
• Add cooled honey mixture, egg and kirsch to flour mixture; stir with wooden spoon until blended.
• Knead dough together with palm of hand until mixture cleans side of bowl; shape into ball; flatten slightly.
• Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to a 13x9 inch rectangle, slightly less than 1/4 inch thich, keeping edges as even as possible.
• Remove top piece of wax paper; flip dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet; remove second piece of wax paper.
• Brush top lightly with milk.
• Bake in a moderate over (375 degrees F) for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove cookie sheet to wire rack.
• Trim edges of cookie dough; cut into 2-inch squares.
• Make GLAZE: Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 Tbsp water in saucepan. Cook about 5 minutes or until it registers 235 degrees F on candy thermometer.
• Brush Glaze quickly over warm Leckerli. (Do not make glaze until Leckerli are out of the oven or it will harden.)
• Decorate with candied red cherry halves and angelica leaves. (Glaze will harden and turn white.).

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.

SWISS BASLER LECKERLI WITH KIRSCH

Steps:

• Pour honey into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Add Kirsch. Stir in sugar. Return to medium heat. Stir in everything else except flour and glaze ingredients. Remove from heat.
• Stir in the flour graadually until the dough cleans the side of the pan. This should take about 15 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add more flour, a little at a time.
• Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 2 x 3-inch bars. Place them closely together on a heavily greased and floured baking sheet. Let stand overnight at room temperature.
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. While hot, brush with confectioners glaze.
• To make glaze: beat together for 20 minutes. If more glaze is needed, make up several batches rather than doubling the recipe.
• NOTE: These need to ripen before eating. Pack in airtight containers and keep, if possible, for 3- 4 weeks. Stored this way, this will keep almost indefinitely.

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!

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.