Bonus : Mushroom-shaped Lebkuchen

Mushroom-shaped Lebkuchen

(This is a version of Lebkuchen, a German spice cookie with a soft, cakey texture. This recipe makes a slightly more crunchy version, similar in texture to a biscotti, which makes them excellent for shaping into mushrooms. They are delicious when dipped into coffee or hot chocolate!)

Ingredients: 

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
200g granulated sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
125g ground almonds
grated zest from 1 large orange

200g powdered or icing sugar
100g chocolate

In a heat proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, add the eggs and sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is pale, thick and foamy. Remove from heat, add orange peel and continue to whisk for 2 minutes.

Sift together the flour, ground almonds, spices, and cocoa, then fold into the egg mixture. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to make the dough pull together, if necessary.

Roll the dough into a ball and cover in cling film and place in fridge for 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line several baking trays with parchment paper.

Split dough into thirds. With one third, make trunk-sized pieces for the mushroom stalks and lay out on a prepared baking sheet. With the other two-thirds, make the caps : roll dough into balls, flatten the bottom and create a indent in which to insert the stems. Place on baking sheets with stems and bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool on a wire wrack.

Make a thick icing by adding a little water to 200 g of icing sugar and mixing until it until it seems wet enough to coat the cookies but not so runny that it drips off the cookies. 

Spread icing on both the mushroom caps and stems, then lay on cooling rack to dry completely.

In a small heat-proof bowl, in the microwave, melt 100g of milk chocolate. Spread a little chocolate on the underside of one mushroom cap, making sure to fill the indent. Insert one mushroom stem into the chocolate-filled indent, and set upside on the cooling rack to harden. Repeat with remaining mushroom caps and stems. Once completely set, mushrooms can be stored in an airtight container until ready to use.