for the 6th treat of Christmas, Kristen gave to us: Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen

This recipe takes a day or two to make and a couple days to soften.

Bring to boil and remove from heat:
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
1 cup sugar

Add and stir to melt:
1/3 cup butter

Cool 10 min. Pour into mixing bowl. Add and mix well:
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp mace

Add and mix well:
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
3 ½ cup flour

Add and mix well
½ cup candied fruit mix, chopped fine in blender or meat grinder
½ cup slivered blanched almonds, chopped very fine in blender

Chill dough overnight or 4 or 5 hours til firm. Roll into 1½ inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten balls. Bake 8-9 min at 400 degrees.

Glaze:
½ cup boiling water
3 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp almond extract

Place hot cookies on wire rack and spoon glaze over cookies. When dry, place in airtight container (Tupperware, Rubbermaid) overnight and the next day to soften. Add a slice of lemon or orange to the container.