Swiss Gingerbread (Leckerli)

History

Basler Läckerli, also known as Leckerli or Läggerli, originates from Basel, Switzerland, and has been cherished for more than 700 years. This traditional Christmas cookie was first crafted by local spice merchants, who blended honey, spices, nuts, and citrus into a festive treat that has stood the test of time.

The name itself reflects its charm: Lecker means “delicious” in German, and the Swiss-German suffix -li adds the sense of “little” or “small.” Together, Leckerli translates to “little delicious,” a fitting description for these flavorful bites.

Honey appears in many old-world desserts because sugar was once scarce and costly. Fruits, especially candied peels, were also commonly used as a way to make the most of the entire harvest, reduce waste, and keep ingredients affordable.

How to make

I love these unusual (to me) cookie recipes. This one was surprisingly good, chewy, and easy to make. I’ve adapted my recipe from French Touch.

Let’s take a quick look at the more unusual ingredients in this recipe.

Ingredients

Baking powder: I recommend aluminum free baking powder. Besides any possible health benefits, I find that it just tastes better without the slightly metallic “off” flavor that regular aluminum containing baking powder has.

Gingerbread spice: You can buy gingerbread spice mixes in the spice section of the grocery store or on Amazon. You can also make your own Gingerbread Spice Mix in batches. Or, if you’re just making the spice mix for this recipe, simply use ¼ teaspoon each of: · ground cinnamon, · ground ginger, ·  ground cloves, and ·  vanilla powder.

Candied fruit peels: Again you can make the candied fruit peels homemade. Just follow my recipe for Candied lemon peel, making two batches: one out of lemons and another out of oranges. Or, if you want to go the quicker route and purchase them, they may be available in well stocked grocery stores especially at Christmas time. Or, purchase them on Amazon like I did: candied orange peels & candied lemon peel. Though candied ginger isn’t traditional in these cookies, I think it would be a delicious addition to these cookies.

Ground almonds: Use a nice finely ground from whole almonds, almond powder, or almond meal. I like the whole almonds for this recipe as they add a little color from the almond skins, and it retains a slightly grainy texture. But really, any ground almonds will work for this recipe. Ground almonds are a good source of protein, fiber, iron, and calcium. 

Buckwheat honey: Buckwheat honey is a dark, robust honey produced by bees that pollinate buckwheat flowers. It has a strong, rich, and malty flavor, often compared to molasses, and is very high in antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Yes, you can use any honey in its place, but the gingerbread will have less complex flavor and won’t be as dark in color. 

Kirsch: Kirsch or Kirschwasser is a clear, colorless, unaged brandy liqueur that’s distilled from fermented sour cherries, and is often added for a traditional touch. If you prefer to avoid alcohol, you can simply use water instead. You could use cherry juice, but the color of the icing will take on a darker red. You can also use clear rum, Grand Marnier, or Amaretto liqueur.

Let’s get baking

This old-world gingerbread is actually really easy to make. Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions.

First, you’ll make the dough or batter by combining the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the candied fruit peels, sliced almonds, and ground almonds.

Heat the honey and sugar to dissolve the sugar, then stir that into the candied fruits and almonds. Then, mix in the dry ingredients.

Mix until the dough is well combined. It will be very thick and sticky; this is normal. You may want to use your hands to knead it until all the flour is incorporated into the dough. Don’t try mixing with a spoon or it’ll bend (ask me how I know lol).

Next, you’ll roll out the dough. The easiest way to do it and keep everything clean is between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it out to about ¾ of an inch thick on a 14.5-Inch x 10-Inch rimmed cookie sheet. It won’t rise much during baking so the height you’ve rolled out too is pretty much the final thickness. Also, it won’t entirely fill the cookie sheet, but the shape doesn’t really matter, as you’ll slice it up after baking.

Remove the top piece of parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes until the gingerbread is fragrant and golden brown.

Place the gingerbread in the pan on a wire cooling rack, and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Once the gingerbread has cooled, make the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with kirsch or water until no lumps remain. Then, brush the gingerbread with the icing and let it dry. The syrup will form crystals and a wonderful white glaze over the top that reminds me of snow.

Once the icing has dried, cut the gingerbread into cubes of about 1 to 2 inches each. Use a serrated bread knife to cut the gingerbread, as it’s very dense.

Storage

Place the cut gingerbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. And, these are actually better a few days after they’re made. They soften up a bit and become chewier and deeper in flavor.

You’ll love these related recipes

Spiced desserts are so nice at this time of year, and you’ll also love my Ukrainian Honey Cake, Berliner Kranz Cookies, and Snickerdoodles.

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