Easy German lebkuchen

These simple german lebkuchen are a traditional Christmas treat that you’ll find in bakeries and shops throughout Germany during the festive season. Usually baked as rounds or hearts, they’re made with rye flour, which gives them their distinctive character and a subtle nutty flavour. Traditionally, German Lebkuchen were made with potash (potassium carbonate), but nowadays bicarbonate of soda is more commonly used, producing lighter, softer biscuits even with the addition of rye flour. My Lebkuchen were soft straight from the oven, but if yours become firm after a few days, simply store them in an airtight tin with a slice of apple or bread to help keep them soft.

Makes about 40 biscuits.

Ingredients for the easy German lebkuchen:

• 50 g butter
• 250 g honey
• 125 g light rye flour
• 100 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tablespoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• a pinch of salt

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the honey and butter in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. The mixture should remain liquid. Place all the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the cooled honey mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until it becomes less sticky and easy to handle.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Divide the chilled dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope about 1 cm thick, then cut into 5 cm lengths. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between each biscuit.

Bake at 180°C for about 8 minutes. Do not overbake, as the biscuits may become too hard and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

For the icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons hot water
• sugar sprinkles

Mix the icing sugar with the hot water until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a little more water; if it’s too runny, stir in more icing sugar. Ice the biscuits in batches and immediately decorate with sugar sprinkles before the icing sets.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk.