Chocolate Brushed Lebkuchen

Recipe From What's For Lunch, Honey?

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 200g raw marzipan

• 200g sugar

• 50 candied lemon peel, finely chopped

• 4 free-range egg whites

• 50g almonds, ground

• 50g hazelnuts, ground

• 100g all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon Lebkuchen spice mix (see below)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Pinch baking soda

• 40 round rice paper approx. 5cm diameter

• 100g bittersweet chocolate

• 100g white chocolate

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and moisten with some water. Place the rice paper rounds 1 cm apart.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the egg whites, marzipan, sugar and pinch of salt with an electric whisk to a thick and smooth batter. Fold in the lemon peel.

3. Mix together the ground almonds, hazelnuts, flour and Lebkuchen spice, then fold into the egg-marzipan batter. Dissolve the baking soda in 1 tablespoon water and mix into the batter.

4. Fill the lebkuchen batter into a piping bag with a rounded tip and pipe enough batter on the rice paper round, keeping a few millimeters free from the edges as the batter spreads while it bakes.

5. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then completely cool the lebkuchen cookies on a rack.

6. In the meantime melt both chocolates separately over a water bath. Brush the cookies alternatively with white and bittersweet chocolate. Allow the chocolate to dry and set.

7. Store the lebkuchen cookies in a cookie box between layers of baking paper.

* Note: If you cannot find premixed "Lebkuchen Gewürz" from a German store, you may mix your own. Here are the spices that make up "Lebkuchen Gewürz"

2 T. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground anise seed

Yields 40 cookies

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