Lebkuchen Bar Cookies

Chef #263911's Note:

My husband found this in a gluten-free cookbook; I don't know which one. The recipe uses cornstarch instead of flour. It tastes fantastic and is liked by both the gluten-free and gluten-eating members of the family.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 9

Yield: 9.0 bar coo ...

For the cookies

• ½ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ cups cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1⁄3; cup raisins (optional) or 1⁄3; cup currant (optional)
• 1⁄3; cup nuts , chopped

For the glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons water

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients except the powdered sugar.
2. Heat honey, oil, and milk in a pan. When the honey starts getting thin, stir in the dry ingredients.
3. Pour into a 9" x 9" pan lined with parchment paper (very important).
4. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Remove lebkuchen from the oven and let cool.
6. When it is cool, stir powdered sugar and water together to make glaze.
7. Place serving plate on top of lebkuchen pan, turn both over, and lift off pan. Lebkuchen should be on the plate; the parchment paper should be on the top.
8. Peel off the parchment paper.
9. Poke quite a few tiny holes in the lebkuchen with a fork.
10. Pour glaze over lebkuchen and let it sit for at least an hour (to let the glaze soak in).
11. Cut into bars and serve. Traditionally, the bars are quite large, but we have also cut them very small and served like you would mini petit-fours.