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Hands breaking an iced Lebkuchen bar to show sliced almonds in the chewy spice dough
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Lebkuchen Bars with Orange Ginger Glaze

Chewy German spice bars with honey, sliced almonds and orange ginger icing. Plan ahead for the refrigerated dough rest.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25–30 minutes
Total Time At least 7 hours 15 minutes, plus cooling
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the bars
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
For the icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method
 

Make the bars and glaze
  1. Warm both sugars, honey and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just simmers. Remove from the burner and cool.
  2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ground ginger into a large bowl.
  3. Stir the egg, orange juice, zest and vanilla into the cooled honey mixture. Fold in the almonds, then stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined.
  4. Press plastic wrap directly onto the dough and refrigerate for 6–8 hours or overnight.
  5. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking dish with parchment and lightly grease it.
  6. Use a greased spatula to press the dough evenly into the dish. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Meanwhile, stir the icing ingredients together until smooth. Cool the baked bars for 5–10 minutes, then spread the icing over them.
  8. Cool completely and let the glaze set before cutting. Keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Chill the covered dough in the refrigerator for 6–8 hours or overnight. Before baking, rest the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cool the baked bars for 5–10 minutes before icing, then cool completely and let the icing set before slicing. The total time is a minimum based on a 6-hour chill and excludes final cooling. Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature. The flavor improves after a few days.