Cinnamon Lebzelten (Gingerbread)

Lebzelten preparation is a bit elaborate, but a treat for gourmets. Yields 40 cookies.

2/3 cup (167 mL) fresh, raw almonds
1 1/4 cups (180 mL) demerara sugar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon
50 g (about 2 oz) crystallized lemon, finely chopped
3 egg whites
parchment paper, cut into six cm by six cm rectangular pieces or smaller round pieces.

Lemon Icing:
1/2 cup (100 mL) dried cane sugar
1-2 Tbsp (15-30 mL) fresh lemon juice

Blanch almonds, let drip dry in colander, slip off skin and grind fine.

Melt the demerara sugar in a pot, add ground almonds and cook, stirring continuously until the mass thickens. Meanwhile beat egg white to a stiff foam.

Add cinnamon and finely chopped crystallized lemon to the warm almond-sugar mixture. Then fold this mixture into beaten egg white.

Put a heaping teaspoonful of dough on a parchment paper square and spread evenly using a knife dipped in water.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 275-300°F (130-150°C) for about 25-30 minutes, until the cookies have risen a bit and the surface has a slight shine.

Let cool on a cookie grid, then cover with the lemon icing.

Source: alive Magazine (pre-2000)