Step 1

Measure the honey and sugar in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second bursts. Stir together vigorously with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves.

Step 2

Add the cubed butter and zest and stir until the butter melts.

Step 3

Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt and spices and egg.

Step 4

Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice as needed.

Step 5

Mist a spatula or your hands with oil and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare the glaze: mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a thin and runny glaze.

Step 7

Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to a thickness of 2cm (just under an inch).

Step 8

Cut shapes using round, star or heart cookie cutters. Space the cookies out on the silicone mat and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up any scraps and rolling out again and bake in batches.

Step 9

Transfer the cookies carefully to a wire rack and brush with the glaze while they are still a little warm.

Step 10

Leave the glaze to dry and add a second layer if desired. Add sanding sugar, sprinkles or slivered almonds to decorate if you like. Check the recipe notes if you want to cover the lebkuchen in chocolate.

Step 11

Put the cookies in a cake tin, separated by parchment paper so that they don’t stick. Place a few strips of orange peel in the tin. Lebkuchen become more delicious the longer you keep them making them the ideal festive gift!