Lebkuchen
submitted by Otti

Below is the recipe for the ones that made it into the family tradition. The recipe is in grams, in [] are some 
measurements I eyeball converted once when I didn’t have a scale at hand. The recipe is forgiving. I think 
Joy of Cooking has a conversion chart.

• It calls for clarified butter, if you can’t find that take half lbs. butter and heat carefully until the whitish stuff 
  separates out and skim it off. Or let it cool, and then you can just pour that off.

• Traditionally Lebkuchen are spread on very thin wafers (Oblaten, yes it is the same stuff they use for communion 
   wafers) but these appear not to be obtainable commercially here. Instead, keep the dough a bit stiffer so you can 
   spoon the dough in little mounds on the cookie sheet.

•If possible try to get good quality candied lemon peel (citronat). I see lemon peel here sometimes that is sort of 
  oozing with syrup. It should be solid, not too sticky and have a light color if possible. I should really make my 
  own this winter since it seems so hard to find.

I find the Lebkuchen benefit from a glaze, they seem softer that way. I sometimes use a chocolate glaze (don’t 
know if you call that icing or what, but it need to become dry and hard) or simply mix confectioner’s sugar with a 
bit of hot water and some lemon or rum, or for a pretty pink glaze mix in a bit of raspberry jelly, cherry juice or beet 
juice.

Ingredients:
140 g clarified butter
300 g sugar [1.5 small cups]
500 g flour [3.5 cups]
300 g ground hazelnuts (=filberts, or use walnuts)
200 g raisins [1/2 lbs.]
200 g candied lemon peel
2 envelopes of baking powder [2 Tablespoons]
4 eggs
250 ml milk [1 cup]
2 knife-tips ground cloves [1/2 teaspoon?]
2 teaspoons cocoa
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Melt clarified butter, add spices and sugar. Let cool a bit, then add eggs, beating well [use mixer]. Add cocoa, nuts, 
lemon peel, milk, flour, and sifted baking powder. Spread on wafer or put mounds on cookie sheet.
Bake at medium heat for 30 minutes [seems too long; I bake at 300 for 15 minutes].