Basler Leckerli means 'little delicious things from Basel'. And that is just what they are - chewy little cookies that are spicy and fruity at the same time. And they get better the longer they're stored! Just the thing to have with a cup of tea during the holiday season or in those snowy months in the New Year . . . if they last that long!
The season is fast approaching! This month for our Eat the World recipe challenge we're focusing on Christmas recipes/treats from around the world. I haven't had much time for baking, being a busy student this semester, but I did manage to sneak in a few traditional cookies. In less than a week we're heading to Germany to spend Christmas in Bavaria! We're meeting some of our children there who are currently traveling and living in Europe. I am trying not to think about it as I busily wrap up all my last assignments for my Culinary Nutrition Course. But when I procrastinate with a bit of Christmas baking (it's called procrastibaking), I can't help but get a little bit (a whole lot) excited.
The smell of spices lingers in the air as I've baked two batches of these delicious little Basler Leckerli (and some authentic Lebkuchen too, which I'll share soon). They are a traditional Swiss Christmas cookie, beloved all over Germany as well. These diminutive glazed biscuits have a unique chewy texture (from the honey) and taste spicy, sweet, and fruity all at the same time, perfect for nibbling with a cup of tea. Even though I've just discovered these little deliciousli, they taste like Christmas to me, and remind me of much of the holiday baking of my childhood.
They're called Basler because they were created by local spice merchants in the city of Basel, Switzerland (in the 1400s), and they're called leckerli, (or läckerli) because in German, lecker means 'delicious', and in Swiss, the suffix -li means 'little' - a perfect amalgamation.
I first baked them this fall at a Swiss friend's home as I was helping her cater a Swiss dinner for a Culinary Art Day. The Basler Leckerli were such delicious little bites, I had to make them at home again, and adapt them for our gluten free family. I used her traditional recipe, and just decreased the gluten free flour a bit.
These traditional cookies do take some elbow grease, as the dough is very stiff and sticky, and you need to work quickly to handle it while it's still warm. They also take some strength to cut into bars, which also needs to be done while they are still warm. But the effort is so worth it. The cookies are best if they age for a few days before you eat them - a week is even better. They get more tender, flavourful, and chewy the longer they age.
How to make Basler Leckerli
You can chop the nuts and candied peel finely by hand, or do it the lazy way like I did - use the food processor.
Stir the nuts, candied peel and spices into the flour. Then heat the honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir it quickly together - it will become a stiff, sticky batter.
Plop the batter onto two parchment-lined cookie sheets.
And use dampened fingers to press it flat (this takes muscle). Then dock it all over with a fork.
Let the dough rest for a couple hours, then bake it and glaze it while it's hot.
Cut the dough into little rectangles right away while it's still warm (takes some more muscle to do this).
Happy Holiday Baking (even if it is procrastibaking)!
* * * * *
Basler Leckerli (Swiss Christmas Cookie Bars)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250gms) finely chopped almonds (1½ cups whole almonds, chopped)
- ⅓ cup (60gms) packed candied orange peel
- ⅓ cup (60gms) packed candied citron peel
- zest of one organic lemon
- 4¼ cups (600gms) regular flour (or 4 cups/550gms gluten free flour blend)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (500gms) honey
- 1 cup (200gms) natural evaporated cane sugar (or 1⅓ cups/200 gms coconut sugar)
For the glaze:
- ¾ cup (90gms) icing sugar/powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper that sticks up at least one inch (2.5 cm) on each side.
- Finely chop the almonds and candied peel. You can do this by hand or in the food processor (much easier). For the food processor, chop the almonds coarsely first, then add the peel and process together until they are evenly ground, with little chunks of the nuts still remaining.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the chopped nuts, peel, lemon zest, flour, spices, baking powder, and salt.
- Heat the honey and sugar in a small pot on the stove until the sugar is melted and the honey is warm. Do not allow it to boil.
- Pour the hot honey over the flour mixture and stir or mix (in the stand mixer) until the batter is blended into a thick, sticky dough. It will be very firm.
- Divide the dough in two and put half into each prepared pan. Use a metal spoon to scrape the remaining dough out of the mixing bowl and add it to the rest.
- Using damp fingers (keep dipping them in water as needed), push and pat the dough into a 9" x 13" (23 x 33 cm) rectangle on each cookie sheet. Work quickly while the dough is still warm, as it gets harder to work with as it cools. This takes effort and muscle. Pinch off pieces of dough from the thicker spots and press them into the thinner spots until the rectangle is of even thickness. Pat the top smooth with damp fingertips. Dock the dough all over with a fork (poke the fork straight down through the batter until it touches the cookie tin, 1 to 2 inches apart, all over the dough rectangle). Trim off excess parchment paper so it sticks up no more than one inch (2.5cm) above the cookie dough.
- Allow the pans to rest at room temperature, covered with a clean dish towel, for two hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Bake the cookie sheets for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating them halfway and using a spatula to press down any parts of the dough that have bubbled or bulged up. The edges of the dough should just be starting to brown.
- While the cookies are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
- Brush the glaze all over the top of the two cookie rectangles as soon as they come out of the oven.
- While still warm, lift the cookie slabs from the cookie sheets using the parchment paper to hold onto, and transfer them onto a large cutting board. Cut the cookie slabs into 1" x 2" (2.5 x 5 cm) bars. You can trim off a thin strip from the outside edges first, if desired. Use a large, sharp knife and work quickly to cut the cookies while still warm, as they are hard to cut once they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool.
- Store the cookies in an airtight, covered container. The are best if left for at least a week to soften and mellow the flavours, but need a minimum of one day in the container before they should be eaten.
- The cookies will keep for up to two months, in a sealed container at cool room temperature and up to six months in the freezer (age at room temperature for one week before freezing). If you're storing the cookies at room temperature and they get too hard, put a few wedges of apple or some orange peels into the container with them and after a few days they will have softened considerably.
- Make 8 dozen Basler Leckerli cookie bars (that sounds like a lot, but they are small and keep forever! (They freeze well, too).
Notes
Guten Appetit!
Check out all the wonderful Christmas/holiday dishes and sweets prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Glædelig Jul, Nisser, and Mormor Agnes’ Æbleskiver
Literature and Limes: Makowiec
Palatable Pastime: Danish Asier Pickles
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Lebkuchenherzen (German Cookies)
Chipa by the Dozen: Pepperkaker (Norwegian Christmas Cookies)
Evelyne: Oliebollen, the Dutch Doughnut
Loreto and Nicoletta: Sandbakkelse, Norwegian Christmas Cookies
Simply Inspired Meals: Classic Christmas Spritz Cookies
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Bohemian Potato Salad
Making Miracles: Scottish Steak Pie
Margaret at Kitchen Frau: Basler Leckerli, Swiss Christmas cookies
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Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:
- Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
- Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
- Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
- Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
- New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
- France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
- Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
- India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
- Poland: Polish Honey Cake
- Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
- England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
- Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
- Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig to Make in Your Oven)
- Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
- Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
- Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
- Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
- Egypt: Fava Beans and Feta
- Ukraine: Buckwheat Kasha with Beef
- Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli
Spicy and fruity sound so good! Plus, nutty from the almonds, yum! We think we would love these cookies, Margaret! And the fact they are Sabina's recipe, make them special! Thank you for sharing!
Margaret
The spice combination in these cookies is a really familiar European flavour profile with the citrus and cloves being dominant. They're deliciously addicting and I keep making myself another cup of tea so I can have an excuse to eat another cookie! Sabina's recipe is a winner!
Patricia Weaver
I have my MIL' s recipe, but I decided to try this one. 24 hours after baking, they all ended in the garbage. They were very dense and hard. The flavour profile nearly the same as the ones we are used to. I think it's rhe honey. Made my original recipe today, and they are soft. Sorry.
Margaret
That's really too bad. There are a lot of different factors that can affect recipes. They've always turned out for me. They are chewy, but we like them that way.
Patricia Weaver
I was really hoping. This recipe looked si much like my MIL'S. No honey though.
L. Steiner
I have a Bern bear springerle mold. I have seen very hard looking leckerli made with this image. Do you think your recipe would work with a mold? Does the dough spread or puff up much in the oven?
Margaret
I think it's definitely worth a try - the dough doesn't rise or puff much at all during baking. If the impression doesn't hold during baking, you'd still have tasty cookies 😋
Elizabeth U.
Looks wonderful!
Margaret
Thanks so much😃!
Sina
Yes, procrastibaking is the best! It grounds me, it makes me happy and relaxed, it's simply the antidote to stress at this time of the year.
And you're visiting Germany, wow! Have a good time here 🙂
Margaret
It sounds like you're happiest in the kitchen - like me. All the worries slip away when I'm busy cooking or baking. We are SO very much looking forward to our trip to beautiful Germany. It has been my heartfelt wish to visit in December and see the beautiful Christmas markets. Our trip has been delayed, but we will hopefully still arrive in time to visit a few of them. Frohe Weihnachten to you!
Evelyne
Oh these sound awesome and delicious. I have something a bit similar in the Netherlands but honestly these sound better.
Margaret
European Christmas cookies are just the best, they have centuries of tradition behind them. And all those wonderful spices! Merry Christmas to you, Evelyne.
Ruth
No egg in these? All the other recipes called for an egg. I did make them, they are sitting on the counter resting. They smell delicious. I am eager to cook them, cut them and let them sit for a few days. They will be part of my Christmas cookie collection this year.
Margaret
Yes, it's quite a unique recipe with no egg! It comes from a very old recipe book written in German that belongs to my Swiss friend. We've had fun reviving this recipe, and I'm amazed at how chewy the cookies remain for a long time - I think it's the honey that does that. I"m going to be making them soon, too. Happy baking! It's starting to feel like Christmas!!!
Antonia Sattler
Can I use cassava flour instead of plain flour? And leave the cane sugar out?
Margaret
Hi Antonia, I'm not at all sure how that would work, since I haven't tried it with those changes. I would try it first with a half or quarter of the recipe (use weight measurements to keep it in ratio) and see how it turns out. I'd love to hear your results if you do try it. Good luck and happy baking!
Antonia Sattler
Is there a sugar free and or paleo verison?
Margaret
Hello Antonia, unfortunately I haven't experimented with either of those versions for these cookies, so I couldn't tell you how they'd turn out with any substitutions. If you do try any variations, please let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear what might work.
Helen
Being a first generation American who recently lost my entire nuclear family - Swiss (pastry chef) Dad, Austrian Mom and both sisters, I’m longing for some comforts from my wonderful childhood! My precious Vati made such a huge assortment of special Swiss cookies each year at Christmas. Leckerli were always my favorite!!! I’m so very happy to be able to make them this year. Soooo yummy! These look like his exact version!!! 🇨🇭 Thank you so much.
Margaret
Your story brought a lump to my throat. I am always touched by how much food can connect us to our past and bring back warm and comforting memories. What very special memories you have of your childhood. I hope these cookies bring you joy - the recipe comes directly from an old, much-loved little Swiss/German cookbook belonging to my Swiss friend. Happy baking! 💕
Laurie
We tried Leckerli for the first time in Basel in December. This recipe is just like the cookies we ate there! I don’t need 8 dozen cookies, but it was easy to just make half a batch. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Margaret
Thanks so much! I'm so happy you liked them - I love that they're an old Swiss recipe from my friend's family, they've passed the test of time 🧡. I'm glad they reminded you of your trip there.
June Leskiw
I follow your recipes in the Spruce Grove Examiner weekly. I am disappointed when your recipe does not come in that week. I have tried most of your recipes and have been very pleased with the results and the instructions. I want to try the Basler Leckerli but have not been able to find the candied orange or citrus peel.
Any suggestions?
Margaret
That just warms my heart to hear that you like seeing my recipes in the paper - you've made my day! ❤️ Thank you.
I can usually find mixed candied peel at Bulk Barn if I don't find it in the stores. I was in there today and saw that they still had some, so hopefully you'll have some luck there. Wishing you a warm and wonderful time with Christmas baking! 🌲