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
Do not use ground almonds for this recipe. Chopped whole almonds provide little bits of crunch, which make these cookies so lecker.I have only made the gluten-free version of these cookies with my gluten free flour blend and they turned out beautifully, just like the original version. I have not tried them with other gluten free flours.The candied peel adds a lovely citrus tang to go with the spices. You can use ⅔ cup (120gms) of mixed peel instead of separate orange and citron peel.This recipe makes two pans of cookies - 4 dozen in each pan. That sounds like a lot, but while you're doing the muscle work, I say make the effort worthwhile. The cookies keep well, and make great gifts. Won't you be happy to find a stash of these in your freezer in the middle of a long, cold February (if they last that long)?This is Sabina's authentic Swiss recipe (though I've cut the sugar down by 50 grams from the original 250 grams and they're still deliciously sweet).