Baseler Leckerli (swiss Spice Cookies)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup unblanched slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup candied orange peel, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, zest of, grated

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f.
• 2 line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• 3 sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and baking soda.
• 4 combine honey, sugar and water in a small saucepan.
• 5 place over low heat until the honey just melts- do not let it boil.
• 6 transfer the mixture to the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• 7 let cool slightly.
• 8 add the sifted flour mixture, the almonds, orange peel and lemon zest.
• 9 blend until the mixture comes together in a heavy, sticky dough, adding a spoonful or two of water if needed.
• 10 (the mixing can be done by hand, but it's labor intensive) resist the urge to add more water to make the dough easier to handle; it would impair the texture of the finished cookies.
• 11 spread the dough about 1/2 to 1 inch thick on the baking sheets, forming 3 rectangles, each about 8 x 9 inches.
• 12 bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops turn a medium brown.
• 13 when the dough rectangles have baked, remove pans to a rack and immediately brush the tops with glaze.
• 14 let cool for 10 minutes.
• 15 cut into 1 x 3-inch bars or into diamond shapes.
• 16 transfer to racks to cool completely.
• 17 ice with a simple sugar glaze.
• 18 store in airtight containers, placing wax paper between layers.
• 19 let rest at least 1 week, preferably longer.