Lebkuchen

Name: Lebkuchen
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 90 g unsalted butter; 50 g clear honey; 125 g black treacle; 30 g dark brown muscovado sugar; 350 g self-raising flour, plus a little extra; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tbsp ground ginger; Good grating fresh nutmeg; ½ tsp ground allspice; 1 pinch ground cloves; 1 egg, beaten; 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa); 200 g icing sugar

Similar to gingerbread but a little spicier, these traditional German biscuits make great gifts although you'll definitely want to keep a few for yourself. Get creative with the decorations, then package up in pretty boxes or bags.

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Makes30
CourseSnack
Prepare45 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time1 hr 5 mins
Pluscooling and chilling

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90g unsalted butter
50g clear honey
125g black treacle
30g dark brown muscovado sugar
350g self-raising flour, plus a little extra
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
Good grating fresh nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 egg, beaten
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
200g icing sugar

In a pan, melt together the butter, honey, treacle and muscovado sugar. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Mix the egg into the butter mixture, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough.
Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface until smooth, then shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to just over 0.5cm thick. Use pastry cutters to stamp out different-sized stars and place on parchmentlined baking sheets, re-rolling the trimmings to create more. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and dip the biscuit bases in it, shaking gently to remove any excess. Place, chocolate-side down, on parchment-lined trays, then chill until set.
If the chocolate has set ragged, carefully shave off any excess with a sharp knife. Mix the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp cold water to make a thick, pourable icing. Transfer to a piping bag with a small nozzle or drizzle it from a teaspoon to decorate. Keep in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

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