JA M-FILLED LEBKUCHEN HEARTS Gefüllte Lebkuchen
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, damson or sour cherry jam (sieved) – will all work really well.
MAKES ABOUT 20
● 50g unsalted butter
● 125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
● 200g runny honey
● 125g rye flour
● 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
● 1 tsp ground ginger mixed with 1½ tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp ground cloves
● Pinch of fine sea salt
● 25g mixed peel, very finely chopped
FOR THE FILLING ● 80g jam
FOR THE GLAZE
● 6 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
● 1 tbsp just-boiled water
● 1½ tsp lemon juice
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 the mixture to cool.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/350°f/gas 4.
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 it is smooth.
3. Split the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface to around 3mm thick. Using a heartshaped cookie cutter, cut out 10 hearts and place them on a large baking sheet (or two small), spaced about 2cm apart. Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam onto the centre of each heart.
4. 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).
Dip your finger into a bowl of water and run it around the dough edge of the jam-covered hearts. Place the larger hearts on top and seal the edges by pressing round them lightly with your fingertips. Re-roll all the dough offcuts you’re left with to make more biscuits. 5. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 12 minutes until slightly golden and firm to the touch, but not browned or hard. While the biscuits are baking, mix all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl to a smooth icing. 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.