German Gingerbread "Lebkuchen"
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Plus minimum 1 hour cooling time
- More effort
- Makes Cookies
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- 250g honey
- 120g brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves (or allspice)
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 440g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Method
- STEP 1In a small pot gently heat the butter, sugar and honey and stir regularly until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- STEP 2While this is happening, mix together all the other ingredients in a big bowl.
- STEP 3Then add the liquid honey/butter/sugar mix to this (you'll either need a spoon and strong arms, or a kitchen aid machine with a kneading hook attachment).
- STEP 4Now leave the dough to rest/cool down for an hour at room temperature.
- STEP 5Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. (160 if fan-assisted)
- STEP 6After an hour, roll out the dough to about 1cm thickness and cut out gingerbread men or any other shapes you prefer (if the dough is too sticky, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm-up, or knead it with your hands and add a bit more flour).
- STEP 7Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper, and bake for approx. 10min. (they will still be slightly soft to the touch; this is what you are aiming for!)
- STEP 8Once cool, feel free to frost them with icing, sugar pearls, or any other kinds of sweet decoration!
