This month is turning out to be a busy one for me with lots of social events. I love it, though, but it does mean the cookie baking is going full force in my kitchen. In addition, my cookbook club is doing a cookie swap this week and I've got treat bags lined up for all the goodies.
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| Lebkuchen |
Most of my friends and I don't really exchange holiday gifts except the ones baked with love in our kitchens. So I decided to put together a treat box with a few of my favorite cookie recipes plus some store bought items to make it even more festive. Who wouldn't love to receive something like this?
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| Gingerbread Whoopie Pies |
The star of the box is a cookie I've been meaning to try to make for so many years that I've lost count. Lebkuchen is a soft German gingerbread that I grew up with and still search for during the holidays. It took a few tries to replicate the flavor but I think I've nailed it.
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| Gingerbread Shortbread and Almond Shortbread |
If you've seen bags of mini shaped gingerbread cookies, called pfeffernusse, in the store, they are similar but not exactly the same as lebkuchen. Actual lebkuchen are made with the addition of ground nuts and citrus zest and are often baked onto an edible wafer called oblaten. I don't like the texture of the wafer so I prefer the recipe without it. Sometimes lebkuchen are also dipped in chocolate which is wonderful.
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| Milk Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies |
Below is my recipe for the lebkuchen as well as links to the other cookies I've included. Enjoy!
Yield: 12 Servings
Lebkuchen (German Gingerbread) Plus a Treat Box
prep time: 25 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 40 M
Recipe for a soft German gingerbread cookie with almonds and orange zest plus a holiday treat box.
ingredients:
- For the Cookies:
- 1 Stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 Cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1/4 Cup molasses
- 2 Eggs
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1/4 Cup ground almonds
- 2 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- For the Glaze:
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
instructions:
How to cook Lebkuchen (German Gingerbread) Plus a Treat Box
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until lightened in color. Beat in the honey, molasses, eggs and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used a 1 1/2 oz. scoop and got 1 dozen cookies. Bake for 15 minutes and cool on a rack.
- Add the granulated sugar and water to a pot and heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the vanilla and salt, remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over the cooled cookies.
Additional Cookie Recipes:
It's been a long time since I had any gingerbread. I remember loving it as a kid. Your treat box looks awesome. Thanks for the recipe and Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteThank yo so much. Happy holidays!
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