Lebkuchenhäuschen

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 500 g honey
• 500 g brown sugar
• 300 g butter
• 1 kg flour
• 3 tsp gingerbread spice
• 1 untreated lemon (zest)
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp potash
• 4 tbsp rum
• 450 g powdered sugar
• juice of one lemon
• powdered sugar
• gummy bears (optional)
• candies (optional)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Heat honey with butter and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool. Add flour, spices, cocoa to the honey mixture and mix thoroughly with a hand mixer paddle. Dissolve potash in rum and add to the dough as well. Knead on high speed until it shines and no longer sticks. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. 2.

   Prepare arches for roof and side panels in DIN A5 format. Cut paper into postcard size with a set triangle for gable sides, cutting the triangle pointy or flat. From thick cardboard cut several 3 cm wide strips about 10 cm long. Score lightly in the middle with a knife and fold to create angles.

3. 3.

   Roll dough on a floured surface to about 5 mm thickness in portions. Place stencil and cut two roof halves and side walls in DIN A5 size, then cut two gable sides. Lay pieces on greased baking sheet. First cut doors and windows on the sheet. Knead leftover dough, roll again and make a large base plate 20 x 30 cm. Cut small tree shapes for decoration. Preheat oven to 180°C and bake each portion in 20 minutes. Let cool on sheet.

4. 4.

   Whisk powdered sugar with enough lemon juice until thick. Use mixture first to glue side walls and gable sides onto the gingerbread plate using paper angles. For stability place books against walls until glaze dries. Then attach roof panels and cut doors and windows. Finally decorate house with icing from a squeeze bottle, add gummy bears and other decorations, and dust heavily with powdered sugar.