Recipe 1- Simple Elisen Lebkuchen

This recipe is a quick and easy way to make Elisen Lebkuchen. The small amount of cacao powder in this recipe imparts a nice gingerbread brown color to the cookies. All together, the prep, baking, and clean-up time take about 1 hour. The dough is thin enough to pipet onto the cookies which makes the sheeting of the cookie dough a cinch. This recipe makes very attractive and tasty cookies.

RECIPE
Prep, Baking, and Cleanup Time: 1 hour
To maximize flavor and texture, let baked cookies rest for 10 days before eating.
Cookies sealed in an air-tight container remain good for 2-3 weeks.

Makes 20 Lebkuchen


INGREDIENTS
10g Cacao powder (1.3 tbsp.)
30g All-purpose flour (5 tbsp)
1 pinch Salt
25g Orangeat (candied orange peel), finely chopped
25g Zitronat (candied citron peel), finely chopped
100g Raw marzipan, shredded w/a grater
150g Ground almonds (~1 3/4cups)
10g Ground cinnamon (1.3tbsp.)
10g Lebkuchen spice* (1.3tbsp.)
1 pinch Hirschorn (baking ammonia)
4 Large Egg whites
water, as necessary
70mm Back-Oblaten
for glaze options, see notes at the end of this recipe

STEPS
Step 1- In a medium bowl combine the cacao powder, flour and salt in a bowl. Mix in finely chopped orangeat, and zitronat.

Step 2- When both the orangeat and zitronat are well coated, grate the marzipan into the mixture, mixing and coating as you go.

Step 3- Now stir in the almonds, hazelnuts, cinnamon, lebkuchen spice, and hirshorn.

Step 4- Finally, add egg whites to the mixture, and with an electric mixer, beat 30 secs on low and then on high until combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a little water until the mixture is creamy and smooth (you need to be able to pipe it onto the oblaten).

Step 5- Place all of the batter into a pastry bag, or a new 1/2gallon freezer bag. Cut off the tip of the pastry bag, or one corner of the freezer bag, and pipe the batter onto the oblaten using a circular motion. Batter should be slightly higher in the middle of the cookie.
Step 6- Bake cookies at 350F (or 180C) for 15 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack. Leave unglazed or once cookies have cooled, finish off with one of the glazes mentioned below.


Unglazed Elisen Lebkuchen just out of the oven.


For Powdered Sugar Glaze: Combine 1 eggwhite, 3/4c powdered sugar, 1 Tbl lemon juice. With a brush or a spoon apply a thin, even layer of glaze over the tops of the cookies.
For Chocolate Glaze: Melt 200g of zartbitter (semisweet) Kuvertüre chocolate in a small pot over med-low heat. Once chocolate has fully melted, let cool slightly and dip cookie tops in chocolate, placing them on cookie racks to dry for a minimum of 12 hours. Once dry, store in an air-tight container.