Oktoberfest Lebkuchen Hearts
|
Photo: © Jeanette Dietl - Fotolia.com |
|
|
1 cup Sugar
1 package Vanilla Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of each: Ground Cloves, Allspice, Cardamom
1 1/2 cups Almonds, finely ground
2 tablespoons Candied Orange Peel (Orangeat), finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons Candied Lemon Peel ((Zitronat), finely chopped
Zest from 1/2 Lemon
2 cups All Purpose Flour (plus extra may be needed if the dough is too soft)
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
For the Icing:
Egg whites from 3 Large Eggs (we recommend buying the pasturized egg whites from your local market to avoid any possible salmonella in raw eggs)
4 cups (16 oz) Powedered Sugar
Food Coloring (optional)
You will also need a large heart shaped cookie cutter.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Mix eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar until creamy.
Mix in ground almonds, candied orange and lemon peels, all seasonsings, and lemon zest.
Combine flour and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and mix until a dough forms.
Roll out dough to about the thickness of a finger. Using your cookie cutter, cut out heart shapes. Place on a greased (or lined with parchment paper) cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To prepare the icing, add the egg whites to a mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, begin beating eggs at medium speed until they become frothy. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until blended. Increase the speed tp high and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny (about 3-4 minutes). If using food coloring, separate the icing into bowls - one bowl for each color. Add a few drips of color and stir into icing. Continue adding a drip or two at a time until you get the desired color.
Decorate the Lebkuchen hearts with the icing. Use blue or white to create a border along the edge of the heart. For the center of the hearts, you can draw flowers, like daisies, red hearts, and a message, such as "Oktoberfest" or "Welcome." Allow the icing to dry completely. This may take a day or two, depending on how much humidity there is in the air.
Note: If you want to use your Lebkuchen hearts as decoration and hang them, cut in two wholes into hearts before baking them. When you've decorated them and they had a chance to dry, string them with blue or white string/ribbon.
More Information on Lebkuchen
|