Honey Cakes or Lebkuchen

1859

Preparation info
  • Yield: Approximately

    7 Dozen

    Cookies.
    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
The Christmas Cook: Three Centuries of American Yuletide Sweets

By William Woys Weaver

Published 1990

  • About

This is very close to the Nürnberg Lebkuchen imported to this country at Christmas. The cookies are large, thick, and chewy. Follow my directions explicitly. There is a reason for aging the dough: it undergoes chemical and physical changes essential to the texture and flavor of the cookie.

Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • tablespoons baking soda
  • 1 tables

Method

Sift the flour, soda, and spices together twice. Add the ground almonds and citron. Mix the honey and molasses in a saucepan and heat to a gentle boil. Remove from the stove. Make a hole in the center of the flour, and add the honey mixture while still hot. As you stir this into the flour, gradually add the brandy. Work this up into a ball of dough, cover, and set aside to ripen in the refriger