Brown butter & cardamom lebkuchen

Method

• step 1

  Tip the butter into a saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, cook until the butter foams, stirring regularly. It should start to smell nutty and the milk solids at the bottom will turn golden brown in around 7 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and honey. Return to the heat on low. Cook for 3-5 mins until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

• step 2

  Combine the flour, ground almonds, spices, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb together in a bowl. Whisk the egg into the cooled butter mixture then pour into the dry ingredients and add the lemon zest. Mix well and bring into a ball. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hr to firm up.

• step 3

  Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip out the dough and roll out to around 1cm thick. Use cutters shaped like hearts, gingerbread people and stars of varying sizes, around 5-8cm, to stamp out the lebkuchen. If you want to hang them, use a skewer to poke a little hole in the top. Arrange on the baking tray, with a little space in between. Bake for 13-15 mins until golden on the edges and just set, then leave to cool fully on the trays.

• step 4

  To ice the cooled biscuits, whisk together the icing sugar and egg white to form a smooth, pipeable icing. Pour into a reusable piping bag and pipe decorations onto the top of the biscuits. Set aside for the icing to set, at least 1 hr. Will keep in an airtight container for five days.