Great Grandma’s German Lebkuchen

German honey Christmas cookie made with molasses

Ingredients:

½ cup honey
1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg

½ cup dark molasses
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2¾ cups flour
⅓ cup nuts, chopped

½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup chopped citron

1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated whole blanched almonds

1 teaspoon clove

Preparation:

Mix honey and molasses and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and lemon rind. Sift together flour, baking soda and spices, then stir into the honey-molasses mix. Mix in the citron and chopped nuts, place the dough in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Roll out a small amount of dough at a time to ¼ inch, keeping the rest in the fridge. You can either cut out oblong shapes about 1 ½” x 2 ½” or just cut circle shapes about 2” in diameter.

Place on a GREASED baking sheet about 1” apart. Place 3 almonds on top of each cookie in a flower shape, and place in a 400* oven for 10-12 minutes or until no imprint remains when touched.

Tips:

A light glaze may be added to the cookie:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

After the cookies have cooled brush the tops lightly with glaze and allow to firm.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.