lebkuchen

With Christmas only 19 days away(gulp...19!), I was flipping through one of my baking cookbooks to figure out what to make. I also wanted to try the recipe at least once before actually making a lot of them. I came across a cookie called Lebkuchen. Looking at the ingredients, it seemed like a type of gingerbread. After reading Wikipedia's definition, I found out that it is a type of gingerbread.

Here is the recipe from "the Essential Baking Cookbook": makes 35 cookies

2 1/3 cups (290g/10oz) plain flour
1/2 cup (60g/2 oz) corn flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
100g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup (260g/8 oz) golden syrup
2 tablespoons milk
150g (5 oz) white chocolate melts
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice, extra

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 180C(350F/Gas4). Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Sift the flours, cocoa, and spices into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3. Place the butter, golden syrup and milk in a small saucepan, and stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Removed from the heat and add to the dry ingredients. Using a knife, mix with a cutting motion until the mixture comes together in small beads. Gather together with your hands and turn out onto a sheet of baking paper.

4. Roll the dough out to 7mm (3/8 inch) thick. Cut into heart shapes using a 6 cm (2 1/2 inch) biscuit cutter. Place on the trays and bake for 25 minutes of until lightly browned. Leave on the trays to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then removed from the heat. Sit the bowl over the pan, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted.

6. Dip one half of each biscuit into the chocolate and place on a sheet of baking paper until the chocolate has set. Sprinkle with mixed spice. These biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.

NOTES: I forgot to add the cocoa and need to get the thickness right--I think some were too thick. Since I couldn't find golden syrup, I used molasses, which I found out is called kuromitsu in Japanese. Also, I didn't dip them in white chocolate because if you've been reading this blog for awhile, you'll know that I'm not a fan of it. Still, they were surprisingly easy to make and the smell of these cookies baking were very Christmas-y and tasted really good!