Name: Lebkuchen (German Honey Bars)
Yield: Makes 36 (2 1/4 x 1 1/2-inch) bars
Ingredients: 1 cup (320g) honey; 2 tablespoons (30g) water; 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick or 85g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes; ¾ cup packed (175g) brown sugar; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice; 2 ½ cups sifted (300g) all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom; ¼ teaspoon ground anise; ½ teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup chopped blanched almonds; 1/3 cup chopped citron; 1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel; 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; ½ teaspoon vanilla; Candied cherries (optional); Blanched almonds (optional)

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne and Jason Schreiber

Lebkuchen recipes are many and diverse—some are flourless, made with almond and hazelnut meal; some are made in bar form and others in cookie form; some are glazed with chocolate and others with a thin lemon glaze. We like to age the dough for up to two months before baking to allow the flavors to develop (the sugar and honey keep the egg from spoiling). After baking, these resilient cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least a month more.