Soft flourless Lebkuchen: almond and hazelnut cookies with candied peel and chocolate

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Beat the eggs

   10 min

   Beat the eggs with the cane sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

2. Fold in the nuts

   10 min

   Combine the ground almonds and hazelnuts with the chopped candied peel, gingerbread spice, lemon zest, and baking powder. Gradually fold into the egg mixture to form a thick, sticky dough.

3. Let the dough rest

   30 min

   Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes so the nuts absorb moisture and the dough becomes easier to shape. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160 °C (325 °F).

4. Shape the cookies

   15 min

   Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them 3 cm apart. Use a wet knife to spread each portion into a round cookie 6–7 cm across and about 1 cm thick.

5. Bake

   45 min

   Bake one sheet at a time for 20–22 minutes, until the cookies are browned on top but still soft inside. Let them cool on the baking sheets.

6. Coat with chocolate

   30 min

   Melt the chocolate over simmering water and use a teaspoon to spread it over the tops of the cooled cookies. Let the chocolate set on a wire rack.

Tip: In Nuremberg, these cookies are baked on round edible baking wafers measuring 7 cm across; if you have them, spread the dough onto them. Wait until the chocolate has set before storing the cookies in a tin, separated by parchment paper. Read more: Frozen lemons: why to freeze them and use the peel

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Mäkké norimberské perníčky bez múky: cesto z mandlí a lieskovcov s kandizovanou kôrou a čokoládou