Chocolate Lebkuchen

 

This list begins with one of my favourites and my go to in the Christmas period, a German gingerbread called Lebkuchen. This recipe uses more ginger than a traditional recipe, giving it that great gingerbread kick. Half smothered in chocolate, no one can say no to chocolate, right? The best part is half way through cooking, when the great signature smell of ginger will fill the kitchen and, turns out, the entire house. That is when you know it’s Christmas again. It has certainly put people into the Christmas spirit in years past. I think we all need to relive that special kind of magic that comes with Christmas.

 

So, what are you waiting for, time to put that new Christmas song playlist on repeat and get to baking this simple yet delicious treat.

 

This recipe gives many opportunities for experimentation, I would love to see your take on the recipe, do repost with pictures of your fantastic bakes.

 

Ingredients:

  • 250g Plain flour

  • 85g Ground almonds

  • 1 tbsp Ground ginger

  • 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

  • ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda

  • 1 tsp Baking powder

  • A pinch (not a chef’s pinch) of Nutmeg, optional

  • 200ml Clear honey

  • 85g Butter

  • 1 Orange, zest only

  • 200g Dark Chocolate (Milk or White chocolate works as well, or join me on the Dark Side of the force)



Equipment you’ll need:

  • A pan and hob space

  • A wooden spoon

  • One large bowl

  • Tbsp & tsp measure and scales

  • Zester

  • A few baking trays

  • Baking parchment



Method: 

  1. Measure the honey and butter into a pan and heat on a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon while the mixture heats up. Once the butter has completely melted, take the pan off of the heat and leave to one side to cool. If you used an extra spoon to measure out your butter keep it, if not get a teaspoon and leave it to one side for later in the recipe.

 

  1. Set your oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas 4 and let it heat up as you continue with making the mixture. 

 

  1. Measure all the dry ingredients (everything before honey on the ingredient list) into a large bowl and mix using the tbsp measure you used for the ginger. Ensure the cinnamon and ginger are mixed thoroughly into the dry flour mix or the recipe can get lumpy.

 

  1. Now zest your Orange into the bowl and mix to incorporate. Ensure you get all the zest from the orange. If you don’t have orange, Lemon or lime are good alternatives to use.

 

  1. Prepare your baking trays, using the spoon you set aside from step 1) to measure out some butter and spread it onto the two trays to grease them. I find a teaspoon of butter the perfect amount to grease one tray completely. If you are in a weird mood, like I normally am, then use your hand to spread the butter around the tray (objectively more fun) or spread around with a spare piece of baking parchment. This isn’t to coat the tray completely, this is to ensure the baking parchment sticks to the trays. 

 

  1. Cut baking parchment to the size of each of your trays and cut into the sides near the corners to help it sink into the trays. Push these into the trays, the less they slide the better, add more butter if the parchment isn’t held in place. 

 

  1. At this point stir your honey butter mixture from step  1) and see if it is cool enough to use. To do this take the wooden spoon from the mixture and scoop up some of the mix and touch it. If it is too hot to the touch, then wait a few more minutes. You can use this time to wash up the bowls and measuring equipment you have already used. It definitely saves time later. 

 

  1. When the mixture is cool enough to touch, make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the honey butter mixture. Using the spoon that has been in the honey mixture scrape the pan and get all the melted mix you can into the large, flour mix, bowl. 

 

  1. Then mix until the flour is all incorporated and the mixture resembles a thick dough. 

 

  1. Remove the spoon and use your hands to create small balls with the dough. Each ball should be about half the size of your palm. If you want more, divide it smaller, but they will cook faster, so keep an eye on them in the oven. 

 

  1. Place each ball onto a tray, giving it plenty of room to expand. I did this by putting a ball into the four corners of my trays first then filling the more central locations of the trays. Lightly flatten each ball as you go to make it into a disk. 

 

  1. Put into the oven, which has been on since step 2) for 15 mins. If you have smaller balls, put it in the oven for less time, again keep an eye on them. My personal rule is that if you are cooking you shouldn’t leave the kitchen, it helps make baking less stressful and enables you to catch if something is burning quickly. When finished cooking the Lebkuchen should be golden around the edges. Put these on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. 

 

  1. Now to melt your Chocolate, you can use a microwave in 30 second bursts. If you are using white chocolate use 10 second bursts. Or save yourself on washing up by placing boiling water into the pan that had your honey mix in. If you use the pan, place a glass bowl on the pan, the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, break the chocolate into this bowl and wait to melt.

 

  1. Once you have your melted chocolate, use a spatula (or dip if you want) to cover half the Lebkuchen in chocolate. Leave to fully set on your cooling rack.

 

  1. Once set, put on a plate and enjoy. These can be made in advance, and can last longer than you’d expect them to. But I’ve been told many times that they are best eaten while still slightly warm, which makes for a nice and very messy eating experience.



If you want to experiment with this recipe, try adding chocolate chips into the mixture or replacing some of the flour, 20g or less, with cocoa powder. If you reached this point, I would love to find out how your’s went.