Recipe - Honey-Almond Bars (Honigkuchen)

BARS
1 One half cup Honey
Three fourths cup Vegetable oil
1 One fourth cup Sugar
6 cup Sifted allpurpose flour
1 tablespoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Ground cinnamon
One half teaspoon Ground allspice
One fourth teaspoon Ground cloves
One fourth teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
One fourth teaspoon Salt
2 cup Finely ground blanched
almonds
One half cup Finely chopped candied
citron
One half cup Finely chopped candied
orange peel
3 Extralarge eggs; lightly
beaten

DECORATION
12 Candied red cherries; halved
48 Blanched whole almonds
48 Pieces candied citron; cut
into One half x 3/8 x 1/8inch
wedges

For the bars: Combine the honey, oil, and sugar in a large heavy saucepan
over moderate heat. Cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until mixture froths up and the sugar dissolves. Remove from
heat and cool 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350oF. Butter a 15 One half x 10
One half 1inch jelly roll pan and set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder,
cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, salt, almonds, citron, and orange peel
in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Scrape the cooled honey
mixture into the well in the dry ingredients. Add the eggs and stir into
the mixture, then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients. The dough will be
quite stiff. Spread in the prepared jelly roll pan, smoothing well into the
corners and leveling the surface.

To decorate the bars: Score the top of the dough into 24 squares by
dividing lengthwise into 6 strips and crosswise into 4 strips. Center a
candied cherry half in each square, then arrange an almond at the 5 and 10
o'clock positions and a citron wedge at the 2 and 8 o'clock positions,
letting them radiate out from the cherry like flower petals. Bake the bars
for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted near the center of the
pan comes out clean. Cool the bars in the upright pan on a wire rack to
room temperature. Cut into squares, following the scored lines. Wrap
airtight in plastic wrap to prevent the bars from drying. Makes 2 dozen
cookies.

From The New German Cookbook

Recipe by: MAILING LIST 1995

Posted to recipeludigest Volume 01 Number 445 by ctlindab@mail1.nai.net on
Jan 4, 1998