Braune Lebkuchen Recipes

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Pulse almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add candied peels and dates, and pulse until finely chopped. Add almond paste, and pulse to combine. Add jam, and pulse. Add eggs and brown sugar, and pulse. Add flour mixture, and pulse. Transfer dough to an airtight container, and refrigerate overnight (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop (1/4 cup), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 3 inches apart. Place 3 almonds close together on top of each cookie. Bake until golden brown, about 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk, and brush over cooled cookies. Let stand until set.

BACON BREAKFAST CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil shiny-side up and spray with cooking spray.
• Put the bacon on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Pour off the fat and reserve; you should have about 1/4 cup. Sprinkle the bacon with the brown sugar and toss to coat with tongs. Continue to bake, flipping the slices every 5 minutes, until the bacon is very dark brown, about 25 minutes more. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. If the bacon sticks to the foil, put back in the oven for 3 minutes to warm and melt the sugar slightly (this will release it from the foil). Leave the oven on.
• Meanwhile, using the top of a 1 1/2-cup ramekin, cut out 6 brioche rounds, one from each slice. Press a piece of bread into the bottom of each of six 1 1/2-cup ramekins, making sure the bread fits in snugly and will not float to the top when the custard is poured over. Put the ramekins in a roasting pan and set aside.
• Combine the heavy cream, vanilla pod and seeds and reserved bacon fat in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod.
• Whisk the maple syrup and yolks in a large bowl. Add the cream mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly. Pour the liquid over the brioche pieces in the ramekins. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake the creme brulees until set but still trembling a little bit in the center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove from the water bath. Refrigerate the ramekins for 2 hours and up to 3 days.
• To serve: sprinkle the top of each creme brulee with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Using a kitchen blowtorch, melt the sugar, swirling the ramekins as needed to make sure it's evenly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve each ramekin with 2 slices of bacon.

AUTHENTIC GERMAN LEBKUCHEN (NüRNBERGER ELISENLEBKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Toss the candied lemon and orange peel with about 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to keep it from sticking together and then pulse in a food processor until finely minced. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar, honey and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• Add the ground almonds and hazelnuts, salt, baking powder, Lebkuchengewürz, and candied lemon and orange peels and stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. (You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for about 2 minutes). The mixture will be wet but if it is too thin to scoop onto the oblaten add some more almond or hazelnut meal.
• Scoop the mixture onto the Backoblaten, smoothing down the top and leaving just a slight space around the edges. Set them on a lined cookie sheet.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet and allow to cool completely.
• Once cooled, place a wire rack over a cookie sheet (to catch the drippings). Dip half the Lebkuchen in the chocolate glaze and half in the sugar glaze, letting the excess drip back into the bowl and then place the Lebkuchen on the wire rack. Arrange 3 almonds on each Lebkuchen while the glaze is still wet. Let the Lebkuchen dry completely until the glaze is hardened.
• Keep stored in an airtight container. Will keep for several weeks and the flavor improves with time.
• Makes about 35 if using 70mm Backoblaten and about 25 if using 90mm Backoblaten.

LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir together the honey and molasses. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lastly the egg.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the citron and hazelnuts. Cover dough and chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Using a small amount of dough at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into small rectangles and place them 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until no imprint remains when touched lightly.
• Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar.
• Quickly brush the icing over the cookies while they are still hot (Important!) and remove them to wire cooling racks. If icing becomes sugary while brushing cookies, re-heat slightly- adding a little water until crystals dissolve.
• Store in an airtight container with a cup of orange or apple for a few days to mellow. (I never did understand that part of the instructions, and my friend had no clarification - but I take it to mean store with a cut-up apple or orange - maybe a small cup of juice? I don't know - I just stored the cookies in an airtight container by themselves!).

CHOCOLATE LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine water and vanilla; gradually add to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/16-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° until set, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. , For topping, in a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and oil. Combine the oats, flour, nuts, cocoa, baking powder and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in candied peels. , Drop 1 rounded tablespoon topping onto each cookie; gently press down. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° until set, 13-16 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. , In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in airtight containers.

LEBKUCHEN VI

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir together the honey and molasses. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the citron and hazelnuts. Cover dough and chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Using a small amount of dough at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into small rectangles and place them 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until no imprint remains when touched lightly. Brush the icing over the cookies while they are still hot and quickly remove them to wire cooling racks. Store in airtight container with a cup of orange or apple for a few days to mellow.
• To make the icing: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Remove from heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar. If icing becomes sugary while brushing cookies, re-heat slightly- adding a little water until crystals dissolve.

BRAUNE LEBKUCHEN

Steps:

• Boil honey, sugar and butter together for five minutes; cool.
• Beat egg and add to water.
• Sift dry ingredients together.
• Add sifted dry ingredients to honey mixture alternatively with egg/water mixture.
• Add nuts and citron last.
• Cover and chill at least overnight.
• If the dough is allowed to ripen in the refrigerator for several days before rolling out, the flavor and texture of the cookies are improved.
• Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut with fancy cookie cutters.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, depending on your oven (taking care not to scorch).
• Ice with colored icing or a sugar glaze.
• To make glaze, mix powdered sugar and water together to make it the consistency of thin cream.