Basler Leckerli Cookies

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Basler Leckerli
These Swiss honey cookies contain kirsch, candied lemon and orange rind and are cut out with special leckerli or springerle cookie cutters. If these are not available, simply cut in desired shapes or into 2 inch by 3 inch bars. Please note that this recipe calls for leaving the cookies out at room temperature overnight before baking. You will want to skip this step if you have health concerns, just to be on the safe side.

1 1/3 cup honey	3 1/2 cups sifted flour, plus more as needed, see recipe instructions
1/3 cup kirsch
1 cup sugar	1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup candied orange rind, finely chopped	1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup candied lemon rind, finely chopped	1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coarsely ground almonds	1/8 teaspoon salt

Sugar Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar, about	2 tablespoons boiling water, about
Vanilla extract

In saucepan, bring the honey to a boil. Remove from heat, add in the kirsch and the sugar. Place back over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the candied rinds and the ground almonds and mix to combine. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool to warm. Sift the flour and measure. Reserve extra sifted flour in case you need it later. Resift the 3 1/2 cups of flour with the dry ingredients together. Work the dry ingredients into the honey mixture a little at a time, working it in before you add more, and adding more additional sifted flour to the mixture as need to the dough leaves the sides of the pan and is no longer sticky. Doing this takes time, as long as 15 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies and set on buttered and floured cookie sheets. Cover the cookies with a soft cloth and let stand at room temperature overnight. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 to 25 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with the icing while the cookies are still hot. These cookies are best after a few days. Keep cookies tightly covered in airtight container.