Lebkuchen hearts

Lebkuchen hearts are simple to prepare and bake. They are a type of German gingerbread that is traditionally made in German homes in the run-up to Christmas. Hearts are the most popular shape, but stars, Christmas trees, angels and bells are also commonly baked. This recipe combines rye flour and ground almonds, making these gingerbread biscuits a little like Elisenlebkuchen. They are quite sweet thanks to the honey and dark brown sugar, so there is no need to ice them after baking; instead, they are decorated with almonds and glacé cherries. They look beautiful and taste wonderful.

Ingredients for 30 biscuits.

Ingredients for the Lebkuchen hearts:

• 120 g honey
• 120 g dark brown sugar
• 65 g butter
• 115 g plain flour
• 115 g light rye flour
• 75 g ground almonds
• 1 large egg
• 2½ tsp mixed pice
• ½ tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 30 g candied orange peel, finely chopped
• finely grated zest of ½ lemon, preferably unwaxed
• a pinch of salt

Additionally, for decoration:

• 15 blanched almonds or almond halves
• 8 glacé cherries, halved

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the honey, brown sugar and butter in a saucepan. Heat gently until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly; the mixture should remain liquid.

Place all the remaining ingredients for the Lebkuchen hearts in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the liquid honey mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3–8 hours, ideally overnight. The dough will become less sticky and easier to roll.

Line a flat baking tray with baking paper. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to approximately 5 mm thick, dusting with flour as needed. Cut out heart shapes and place them on the prepared tray, leaving some space between them as the biscuits will spread and rise during baking. Place an almond and halved glacé cherries on each heart, pressing them gently into the dough.

Bake the Lebkuchen hearts at 180°C for about 10–12 minutes, depending on the size of the cutters. Do not overbake, or the biscuits will become too hard. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Set aside to soften.

How to soften Lebkuchen?

The biscuits should be soft when freshly baked, but they may become slightly firmer over time. To soften, they need to absorb some moisture, either from the air or from fruit. This is what gives them that wonderfully soft, almost melt-in-the-mouth texture. Place the biscuits on a wire rack and move them to a room with higher humidity, or open a window while it is raining (the British climate is rather helpful here – mine soften quickly, usually within 3 days). If your home is quite dry, place the biscuits in an airtight tin with pieces of peeled apple. Replace the apple every few days to prevent mould. The biscuits will gradually absorb the moisture from the fruit.

Enjoy!

Source: “Advent. Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas” by Anja Dunk.