Recipe Talk

I am searching for a recipe which appeared in McCall's magazine, circa 1980's or 90's. It was a bar cookie and was frosted with a hard icing made with egg white and confectioner's sugar.

Lebkuchen Recipe - Old Fashioned Bar Cookies

1 pound dark brown sugar (2 1/4 cups packed)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup raisins or 3/4 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
.
Icing
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
PREPARATION:

Grease a 13x9-inch metal baking pan. Line pan with foil then grease the foil. In large mixing bowl, with hand-held mixer at medium speed, beat brown sugar and eggs until well blended, about 1 minute, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and cloves until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Stir in chopped nuts and raisins. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in a preheated 350degrees oven for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. In medium bowl, combine icing ingredients, or use your own favorite thin icing. Drizzle icing over Lebkuchen. Let stand 10 minutes to allow icing to set. Transfer with foil to cutting board and cut into small bars. Store bars in tightly covered container, with waxed paper between layers. The cookies can be stored at room temperature for as long as 2 weeks, or in freezer up to 3 months.

~Lisa

Thanks for the lebkuchen recipe. It's close to the one I remember, except I think there was anise flavoring and molasses in it.

Here's one from www.cooks.com

LEBKUCHEN

2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. lard
2 eggs
1 qt. molasses
1/4 lb. citron, cut fine
12 c. flour
3 heaping tsp. soda
2 tsp. anise seed
1 tsp. ground anise
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cardamom or coriander
1 1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk
1 heaping c. chopped nuts

Cream sugar and lard. Stir in the beaten eggs, molasses and citron. Sift together the flour, soda and spices. Combine dry ingredients alternately with milk to molasses mixture. Stir in the nuts. Store overnight in the refrigerator.
Next morning, roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangle 2x3 inches. Bake in a moderate oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. When cold, ice them with a thin XXXX icing. This recipe makes a HUGE batch! Half portion yields dozens!

The traditional Christmas cookies. Some recipes for Lebkuchen call for honey instead of molasses, and judging by the name, the original ones must have berry honeycakes. Not everyone uses anise but all put in lots of spices.

~Lisa