On the second day of Christmas...

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me... Greetings from Germany!! 

When you think of Christmas what's the first thing that comes to your mind? 

To me... Is the smell... The Christmas smell... Cinnamon and spices! 

And what concentrates all these aromas?! A german cookie called Lebkuchen! 

Lebkuchen, also called Pfefferkuchen, is German gingerbread. It's a traditional German soft cookie which has as its base molasses and honey and their aroma is a beautiful blend of spices, such as, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. You will find many regional variations, but the most well-known is the Nürnberger Lebkuchen.(www.germanfoodguide.com)

From my research, the original recipe is made with honey and molasses but I found some made with butter. 

And here is how you make it:

Yield: 18 cookies

 

prep time: 15 minutes (active) 2 hours (inactive)

 

cook time: 10-12 minutes

 

total time: 2 hours 45 minutes

For the Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses

For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Set aside.

3. Beat the egg and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.

4. Beat in the honey and molasses until thoroughly combined.

5. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

6. Turn the dough out from the bowl onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as kneaded, until a stiff dough is formed.

7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

8. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 18 3x2-inch rectangles. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, water and lemon juice and brush or spread on top of the cookies.

10. Allow the glaze to firm, and then store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Source:www.browneyedbaker.com)

This is how mine turned out. I used Betty Crocker's recipe and made a slight change... I don't have allspice so I added a little bit of ginger to the mix and I also removed the chopped nuts, as I thought it didn't add much to the cookies. The icing of these cookies vary... The recipe above gives you a glazed icing.I prefer a chocolate icing, which is also a delicious option. Just melt dark chocolate and glaze to taste(you can also add a sugar syrup to the chocolate to thin it out). 

Also give Martha Stewart's Lebkuchen a go. 

Give it a try! Have a merry bake!