Glazed Lebkuchen Gingerbread Cookies - German Christmas Cookies

Honey-sweet, richly spiced ginger Lebkuchen are often coated with chocolate or sugar glaze. They are wonderfully fragrant and flavorful and will be enjoyed by the whole family as a special Christmas treat.

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups (450g) sugar
6 eggs
1 package vanilla sugar
1-2/3 cups (240g) chopped hazelnuts
2 cups (240g) finely ground hazelnuts
1/3 cup (50g) chopped walnuts
3.5 oz. (100g) candied lemon peel, finely sliced
3.5 oz. (100g) candied orange peel, finely sliced
1 tablespoon gingerbread spice (Lebkuchengewürz)
Grated zest of 1 organic lemon and 1 organic orange
2 packets of large round baking wafers

For sugar glaze:

For chocolate glaze:

For decoration:

Preparation:

Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla sugar until smooth. Add the nuts, candied lemon, orange peel and spice and combine well. Leave to rest in a cool place for 24 hours. Form golf ball-size dough balls. Place each of the dough balls on a baking wafer and spread them out evenly. Line the baking tray with parchment paper and place the Lebkuchen onto it.
Preheat oven and bake the Lebkuchen at 200 °C for 15 minutes.
Leave to cool on a grid. Mix confectioner's sugar with water and stir to a smooth paste. Glaze one third of the Lebkuchen. Melt the chocolate and glaze the second third of the Lebkuchen. Leave the rest plain.
Decorate the gingerbread with almonds and candied peel.