Basler Leckerli

Basler Leckerli

• 250 grams honey
• 250 grams sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 1 packet vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 100 grams slivered almonds
• 50 grams candied orange peel
• 50 grams candied lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons kirschwasser (or brandy)
• 500 grams flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 100 grams blanched almonds

Glaze

• 1/2 cup water
• 200 grams sugar

1. In small pot, warm honey and sugar, stirring occasionally until sugar is melted. Set aside to cool.
2. Once cooled, beat in eggs, spices, almonds, citrus, and kirschwasser.
3. Whisk together flour and baking powder. Add to dough mixture, beating until just combined. Set dough aside for at least one hour (or, as the German mother warned, "sonst droht der Wahnsinn!"—madness will ensue!).
4. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a jelly roll pan, either buttering it or lining it with parchment paper. Blanch almonds to remove their skins, and split if possible.
5. Roll out the dough. Fair warning, this is going to be tough and frustrating, and mostly likely a little messy. It helps to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Aim for a rectangle with a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Patience and some old-fashioned muscle will be your saving grace. Transfer into the prepared pan. Score the dough to give yourself "guidelines" for cutting the cookies after they're baked, and decorate with halved, blanched almonds.
6. Bake at 350° F for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the dough's thickness: The thicker it is (in case you gave up on the rolling), the longer it'll take). Bake until firm and golden brown.
7. As soon as the pan goes into the oven, prepare your glaze! (Even better, start it a few minutes before the pan goes into the oven). Timing is everything here. Bring water and sugar to a boil, then drop to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. It will form a viscous glaze.
8. When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately "shower" the cookies evenly with the glaze. Allow to cool.
9. Remove from the pan and cut. Enjoy while wrapped in a blanket with a mug of tea, for once not cursing the snow outside.