Salzburg Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen (Austrian Gingerbread)
Makes8-10 servings. This recipe is from the Weber House of Candlemakers and Gingerbread Bakers, Salzburg, Austria.

• 2/3 cup honey
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa
• 1 1/2 ground almonds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cups slivered, blanched, toasted almonds

Icing

<;i>1 egg white <;i>2/3 cup powdered sugar <;i>1/4 tsp. lemon juice

In bowl, beat egg white, sugar and juice until thick.

Additional dried fruit or nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet and sprinkle with flour. In saucepan, slowly heat together honey, sugar, oil and water. Blend until smooth; let cool. Add egg yolk, ginger, grated lemon and orange zest (colored part of rind removed with zester or grater), cloves and cinnamon. Sift flour with baking powder and cocoa; add to honey mixture. Add ground almonds, chopped dried cranberries and slivered almonds. Using hands, mix well until dough is smooth. Roll out to 1/4-inch-thick on well-floured board. Trim to fit cookie sheet; bake whole on cookie sheet. Or cut out into different cookie shapes. Bake exactly 10 minutes. Cool before icing. Cut single baked sheet into squares or other shapes. Spread Icing (recipe below) on cookies and decorate with nuts, raisins or glazed fruit as desired. Gingerbread will keep as long as 3 months. Store in tightly sealed container with 2-3 small apples.