Liebküchen Dark Cookies
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Author: Bob and Robin Young Web Page: www.rockinrs.com, http://boisefoodieguild.wordpress.com |
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Liebküchen or Lebküchen, also called Pfefferküchen, is German gingerbread. These cookies are either rectangular or round, they have a sweet, lightly nutty taste, and their aroma is spicy, a bit like nutmeg and allspice. They are usually soft with a slight crunch from chopped nuts. The Lebküchen is a traditional Christmas cookie, which is often enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. There are many regional variations to the Lebküchen, but the most well-known is the Nürnberger Lebküchen ... Nürnberger Lebküchen or gingerbread has been around since the 14th century, when Nürnberg was a rich city with good trade associations ... "Nürnberger Lebküchen" are just one of many types of German gingerbread. They have been baked in the city of Nürnberg since 1395 by the local monks. The spices had to be imported for all Lebküchen, so cities with strong trading partners had an advantage over small, agricultural villages when creating new types of Lebküchen. Nürnberg also had good honey production and this gave them an edge up in commercial production of their Lebküchen, which began in the 14th century. In 1643, the city even created the "League of Lebküchen Bakers". "Oblaten Lebküchen" are baked on a thin wafer to keep the soft cookie from sticking to the cookie sheet. "Nürnberger Elisen Lebküchen", considered the finest kind of Oblaten Lebküchen, must have a minimum 25% nuts and less than 10% flour by weight. Sometimes, the recipe includes marzipan. These are soft, moist drop cookies. Other types of Lebküchen are made with a stiff dough which starts with a honey or sugar syrup and are rolled and baked. White Lebküchen are decorated with almonds and candied orange or lemon peel. Lebküchen is often referred to as "Pfefferküchen".
Degree of Difficulty
Degree of Difficulty: Moderately difficult
Servings
Yield: 72 cookies
Ingredients
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Directions
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1 |
In a medium saucepan, stir together the honey and molasses. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lastly the egg. |
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In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the citron and hazelnuts. |
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Cover dough and chill overnight. Dough will be very sticky - some roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut 2 inch circles. I find it works with the scoop and press method below. |
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease cookie sheets. Using a large T scoop of dough at a time, place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Press the ball of dough down to ¼ inch thickness - cut with a circular ring, removing excess dough with a spoon if you want a perfectly round cookie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until no imprint remains when touched lightly. |
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Icing 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup water, ¼ cup confectioners' sugar. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. |
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Have a candy-making helper - necessary for this part. Heat to between 234 and 240° F (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar. |
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Quickly brush the icing over the cookies while they are still hot (Important!) and remove them to wire cooling racks. |
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If icing becomes sugary while brushing cookies, re-heat slightly- adding a little water until crystals dissolve. |
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Store in an airtight container with a ¼ cut orange or apple core for a few days to mellow. |
Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 24 hours
Total Time: 25 hours