Best German Honey Bars Recipes

LEBKUCHEN (GERMAN HONEY BARS)

Steps:

• Honey bars:
• Heat honey and water in a large heavy saucepan until runny. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in brown sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the honey mixture and stir just until combined. Add almonds, citron, and candied orange peel. Stir until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 1 month.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper so it extends over the 2 long sides.
• Firmly press the dough into the prepared pan to form a smooth, even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes.
• Citrus glaze and decoration:
• In a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. While the lebkuchen is still warm, spread glaze evenly over the top.
• Mark into bars by cutting into the lebkuchen about ¼ inch deep with a knife. Decorate, if desired, by placing 1 candied cherry in the center of each bar. And arrange 4 blanched almonds around each cherry.
• Let stand in the pan on a rack until completely cool and the icing is set. Using the overhanging parchment as handles, transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars. If possible, let the cookies age for at least 2 weeks to allow the spices to ripen. Lebkuchen will keep for months in an airtight container.

GERMAN HONEY BARS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. *Grease 15X10X1 inch jelly-roll pan. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and ginger in medium sized bowl. Combine honey and molasses in medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Cool 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and egg. *See note below.
• 2. Place brown sugar mixture in large bowl. Gradually add flour mixture., beating with electric mixer at low speed until dough forms. Stir in almonds if using. (*Dough will be slightly sticky) Spread dough evenly in prepared pan. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and set. Remove pan to wire rack
• 3. Prepare Lemon Glaze. Spread over cooled bars. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes. Cut into 2X1 inch bars.
• 4. Lemon Glaze: 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice in medium bowl until well blended.
• 5. *Notes: After 10 minutes the honey molasses mixture was still very warm and I didn't want to add the egg and have it turn out scrambled, so I set the bowl on a few ice cubes wrapped in a paper towel for a couple of minutes. The dough being slightly sticky is an understatement. It is very sticky and I had a hard time rolling it out. Finally placed a piece of waxed paper over the dough and rolled with rolling pin. It was a little better but dough still stuck to the waxed paper. I also lined my pan with parchment paper, rather than greasing the pan. I did not add the almonds, because the honey bars we get at the bakery do not have almonds in them. These honey bars are bolder in taste with the spices and much darker in color than the ones we get at the bakery. I think with a little tweaking with spices and playing with a different kind of molasses I can get a little closer to the bakery version.