Maple Gingerbread inspired by traditional German Lebkuchen
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Author:
Heather Bowes
Traditionally made with honey and almonds, this treat instead combines maple syrup and walnuts for a wonderfully rich and delicious take on the authentic Lebkuchen. Some recipes use ginger, some do not. I have found that Ginger works so well here to balance out the deep flavor of the sweet syrup.
Ingredients
- ½ cup maple syrupÂ
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cubed
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup ground walnutsÂ
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon baking powderÂ
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamonÂ
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg white beaten
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ cup confectioners sugarÂ
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Dough
Glaze
Directions
- In a small saucepan heat the sugar and maple syrup, stirring until dissolved.
- Add in the butter and lemon zest, stirring to melt.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the baking powder and baking soda, salt, spices, lemon juice and egg so there are no small lumps.
- Mix in the flour and ground walnuts to form a soft sticky dough.
- Gather the dough with your hands to form a ball (flour your hands if needed as the dough will be sticky). Set the ball in a bowl and cover.
- Let the dough rest, covered at room temperature for one hour or overnight. Make sure the dough doesn’t form a crust from drying out.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients and set aside with a brush.