Grandma Zeman's Real Lebkuchen
In a fit of sentimentality I made my mother lebkuchen a few years ago. I had some Hallmark-inspired nonsense in my head of evoking childhood Christmases* for her. I made her a batch from the Joy of Cooking and watched as she took her first bite.
It’s important to note here that my mother was an exceedingly well-mannered, polite person, and she loved my cooking. So I was a tad taken aback when the lady took a bite, chewed, thought, then put the remaining lebkuchen down on the plate and said: “These aren’t right. They aren’t like my mother’s.” She went home and left the remaining lebkuchen with us.
Two days later an envelope arrived, addressed in her perfect mid-century penmanship. Inside was a photocopy of her mother’s lebkuchen recipe, with just one word written in my mother’s hand: “Real!”
So, here are real Lebkuchen, c/o of my Grandma Madeleine Zeman of Park Avenue, New York City.
REAL LEBKUCHEN
YOU NEED:
8 ounces finely chopped blanched almonds
1 pound dark brown sugar
4 whole eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Zest of an orange (3/4 of the zest for the cake and 1/4 for the glaze)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (for the glaze)
2 Tablespoons cream (for the glaze) (alt: (cream, buttermilk, milk, water, calvados, Grand Marnier, brandy)
HOW TO:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan for thick, brownie-like lebkuchen, or a 9 x 13-inch pan for a thinner, slightly more traditional cookies.
Grind the almonds in a hand-held grinder (if you’re my grandma), or in a food processor, until finely ground.
In a large bowl, beat the four eggs with a fork until creamy. Add the ground almonds, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and ginger and beat with a wooden spoon until well-blended.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix until just blended.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
If using a 9 x 9 pan, bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until a toothpick comes out clean, about 10 to 15 more minutes, depending on your oven. A 9 x 13 pan usually bakes in 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
While the lebkuchen is cooling on a rack, make the glaze: Mix 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar with 2 Tablespoons liquid (cream, buttermilk, milk, water, calvados, Grand Marnier, brandy…), and the zest of half an orange until creamy. Spread the glaze over the still-warm lebkuchen.
If you want make it look just like my mom did, sprinkle multi-colored non-pareils over the top.
If you baked yours in a 9 x 13-inch pan, cut the lebkuchen once the glaze sets.
Lebkuchen will keep until next Christmas if stored in a cold place. I’m kind of kidding. It’s definitely a cookie that gets more flavorful after a few days, however.
For chewy, brownie-like lebkuchen, bake in a 9 x 9-inch pan and cut into small squares when ready to serve.
For a crun-chewier lebkuchen experience, bake it in the 9 x 13 pan and cut once the glaze sets.
Store well-wrapped in the freezer or a cool place until ready to serve. These ship very well.
And yes, of course you can glaze these in chocolate.
*indeed, my NYC-Ethical-Culture-German-Jewish mother grew up celebrating Christmas to the hilt—as I still do now
