Basler Läckerli
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp kirschwasser and 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup finely chopped candied orange peel
- ¼ cup finely chopped dried cherries
- ⅓ cup finely chopped blanched almonds and ⅓ cup finely chopped skinned hazelnuts
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar, 2 tsp kirschwasser and 1 tsp water, for the glaze
Basler Läckerli are the spice merchants' cookie of Basel: honey and sugar are warmed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and a crack of black pepper, then kirsch, candied orange peel, dried cherries and chopped almonds and hazelnuts are stirred in before the flour. The stiff dough is pressed into a thin slab and rested overnight so the spices mellow and the honey firms the crumb, then baked in a hot oven and glazed with a kirsch icing while the slab is still warm, so the sugar sets to a thin crackling sheet before it is cut into rectangles.
Method
Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together.
Warm the honey, sugar and spices in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes — do not let it boil.
Off the heat stir in the kirsch and vanilla (it will bubble), then fold in the candied peel, cherries, nuts and orange zest.
Add the flour mixture and stir until a stiff dough forms. Press it evenly into the pan with wet fingers, cover with foil and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Let the pan stand at room temperature for 30 minutes and heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake uncovered for 15-17 minutes until golden with a dry, puffed top.
Meanwhile whisk the powdered sugar, kirsch and water into a glaze. Cool the slab for exactly 5 minutes, then spread the glaze over it.
Cool 5 minutes more, lift the slab out by the parchment and cut into 16 rectangles while still warm. They keep for weeks in a tin.
