LEBKUCHEN

Lebkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈleːpˌku:xn] , or Pfefferkuchen, traditional German baked Christmas treat, somewhat resembling gingerbread.

I've never tasted these before so I had no references as to comparisons. But just knowing that they have some relation to gingerbread and all those delicious ,warm spices that go with it, was enough for me.

Now mind you- at the present moment it is close to 100℉ here in Israel; humidity is, well, let's just say two showers a day are a minimum to feel "not sticky". So baking cookies that have a Christmas, wintery association is a bit out of sync for me, but I haven't baked in so long that I just had to give these a try.

Interesting. That's my word to describe them. Interesting. The combination of spices is soothing and warm, with the added chocolate coating on top to give it just the right amount of sweet ( but not too much).

The recipe calls for chopped candied orange peels, so I decided to make them myself. Saturday,most grocery stores are closed here and I was too lazy to go out in the heat to the one or two places that are open. Making the candied orange peels was easy enough and if I were to make them in large batches, I would definitely dip them in melted chocolate! Only warning if you want to try them is to allow enough time for them to dry out.

I think what I like about these cookies is that one was certainly satisfying ( I tend to overindulge!) and the taste of the spices sort of lingered in my mouth and just kept on going for quite a while. Like I said- interesting.

If you'd like to give these a try, you can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

Enjoy!