Lebkuchen = Christmas

Lebkuchen is the essence of Christmas -- childhood and cinnamon and cloves and Grandma. When I was a child I hated the cookie, but now it is my seasonal sacrament. It's trouble, mixing honey and flour, and translating pounds to cups. Every year it turns out different--probably because I make half a recipe and don't get the balance perfect. You adjust. I bet Grandma did too. When it's too hard, I wrap the cookies in whiskey-soaked cheesecloth. Sometimes I drizzle a confectioner's sugar glaze. Once I baked and baked, but it wouldn't get together. After frosting, I had to scoop it off the cookie sheet with a spoon, roll that into balls and put them into little paper cups. Grandma Krumm's recipe (She was Irish, but she adjusted.) is below the photos.

Lebkuchen
Christmas Honey Cake

Grandma Josephine Krumm
(who got it from her mother-in-law, Mary Krumm)

1 lb. honey (the kind you choose makes a difference. I use tupelo.)

1 lb. flour

1/2 lb. sugar

Mix honey and sugar in a little pan. Boil and skim off the froth. When nearly cold add flour.

In a large bowl, mix:

1 1/2 lb sugar

3 eggs

1 lemon (juice and rind)

1/2 lb. citron (I hate it, so I use candied orange peel.)

1 1/2 lb. flour (Oh, I think I've left this out sometimes.)

1/2 C. orange peel (I use candied, but think Grandma used fresh.)

1 T. soda mixed in 1/2 C. whiskey

2 T. cloves

1 lb. almonds (I use blanched, slivered almonds, and then I toast them.)

Mix the two parts together. Add more flour if needed. Spread into greased, rimmed cookie sheets and bake 13 min. at 350. Makes four cookie sheets. (I line the pan with greased parchment and this year I actually rolled it out rather than spread it in the pan. I had to dust with more flour, but it's easier than squishing the goo into corners of the pan. I bake it 17-20 minutes. We like a harder cookie. Cut into diamonds. I use a pizza cutter.) While warm, frost, if desired. If too hard, wrap in whiskey-soaked cheesecloth.

My adjustments and half the recipe.

Equivalents (I use these, but ... you might double-check.)

flour--4 C. = 1 lb.

sugar--2 1/4 C. = 1 lb.

honey--1 1/3 C. = 1 lb.

1/2 of Grandma's recipe

Lebkuchen

2/3 C. honey (the kind you choose makes a difference. I use tupelo.)

2 C. flour 

1/2 C. + 1 T. sugar

Mix honey and sugar in a little pan. Boil and skim off the froth. When nearly cold add flour.

In a large bowl, mix:

1 5/8 + 1 T. sugar

1 1/2 eggs (I beat one egg in a little bowl and use half.)

1/2 lemon (juice and rind)

1/4 lb. citron (I hate it, so I use candied orange peel.)

3 C. flour (Oh, I think I've left this out sometimes.**)

1/4 C. orange peel

1/2 T. soda in 1/4 C. whiskey

1 T. cloves

1/2 lb. almonds (I use blanched, slivered almonds, and then I toast them.)

* I add 2 T. cinnamon. It's in my revised recipe and I don't know how it got in. It does taste good.

**Oops. Just discovered that I left 3 C. flour out of my revision! That explains why my dough is like runny peanut butter. At the end I always have to add flour as I need it -- probably 3 C. -- It explains why every year is different. But good.