Jam-filled Lebkuchen hearts

“These little Lebkuchen hearts give way to a soft interior of jam. They are traditionally filled with Pflaumenmus (a spiced plum butter) but any sharp, smooth jam – redcurrant jelly, damson jelly, sour cherry jam (sieved) – will all work really well,” says food writer Anja Dunk.

“At first, these Lebkuchen seem slightly fiddly to make, but if you like them enough to make a second batch, which I’m hoping is the case, you’ll soon realise once you’ve got the hang of it that there’s actually not much to it.”

MAKES 20 Ingredients

• 50g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter

• 200g (½ cup plus 1½ tbsp) runny honey

• 125g (1 cup minus ½ tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

• 125g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) rye flour

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

• 1 tbsp Lebkuchengewürz spice mix (see below) or 1 tsp ground ginger mixed with 1½ tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp ground cloves

• Pinch of fine sea salt

• 25g (1oz) mixed peel, very finely chopped

For the filling:

• 80g (3oz) jam (jelly)

For the glaze:

• 6 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted

• 1 tbsp just-boiled water

• 1½ tsp lemon juice

For the Lebkuchen spice mix: (Makes about 8 tbsp) – mix all the ingredients thoroughly together in a bowl and store in an airtight jar for up to a year)

• 5 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tbsp ground ginger

• 2 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp ground cardamom

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground anise

• ½ tsp ground mace

METHOD

1. Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the honey. Allow to cool.

2. Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350f/gas Mark 4.

3. Put the dry ingredients and mixed peel into a bowl, pour over the honey mixture and stir everything together. When it becomes too difficult to stir, use your hands to bring the mixture together into a dough, then knead for a few minutes until smooth.

4. Split the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface to around three millimetres thick.

5. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 10 hearts and place on a large baking sheet (or two small), spaced about two centimetres apart.

6. Spoon half a teaspoon of jam onto the centre of each heart.

7. Now roll out the other half of the dough to the same thickness and cut out 10 more hearts. Roll over them again so that they become slightly larger and thinner (as they need to be domed over the jam).

8. Dip your finger into water and run it around the dough edge of the jamcovered hearts. Place the larger hearts on top and seal the edges by pressing round lightly with your fingertips.

9. Re-roll all the dough offcuts into more biscuits.

10. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 12 minutes until slightly golden and firm to the touch, but not browned or hard.

11. While the biscuits are baking, mix all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl to a smooth icing.

12. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and, while still warm, brush the tops with the glaze. Allow to cool fully before transferring to an airtight container. They will keep well for a month.

• Advent: Festive German Bakes To Celebrate The Coming Of Christmas by Anja Dunk is published by Quadrille, priced £25. Photography Anja Dunk.

Available now.