Basler Läckerli

Ingredients

Dough

• 250 ghoney
• 150 gsugar
• 200 gwhole almonds, coarsely chopped
• 120 gcandied orange peel, finely diced
• 60 gcandied lemon peel, finely diced
• 400 gplain flour
• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground cloves
• 1 tspground nutmeg
• ½ tspground cardamom
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 3 tbspkirsch

Glaze

• 120 gicing sugar
• 2 tbspkirsch
• 1–2 tbspwater

Directions

1. Warm the honey and sugar together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is just at a simmer. Do not let it boil — boiled honey caramelises and the biscuits turn hard rather than chewy.
2. Take off the heat and stir in the almonds and candied peel. Let it cool to hand-warm.
3. Mix the flour, spices and baking powder, then work them into the honey mixture with the kirsch. It becomes very stiff; finish by kneading briefly on a board.
4. Press the dough into a lined 30 by 20 cm tin, flattening it evenly to about 1 cm with wet hands or a wet rolling pin. It is too stiff to roll out freely.
5. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 22–25 minutes until firm and evenly browned. It will still feel soft in the centre and firms as it cools.
6. Mix the glaze and brush it over the whole surface while the slab is still hot, so it soaks in and sets to a thin white sheen.
7. Cut into small rectangles while still warm — about 4 by 3 cm — because a cold slab is impossible to cut cleanly.
8. Now leave them. Läckerli are hard and unpleasant on the first day and become chewy and aromatic after two or three in an airtight tin with a slice of apple. This resting is part of the recipe, not storage advice. They keep for months.

Technique

• Do not eat them fresh and conclude the recipe failed. The two-day rest is what makes them Läckerli.
• A slice of apple in the tin gives up moisture and softens them; replace it every few days.
• Cut warm, always. This dough sets like a brick.

Substitutions

• Rum or brandy in place of kirsch.
• Hazelnuts for some of the almonds, though Basel bakers would object.

Variations

• A version with a chocolate glaze instead of the kirsch sugar glaze.
• Appenzeller Biberli, a related honey-spice biscuit filled with almond paste.

History

A hard honey and spice biscuit created by Basel spice merchants in the late Middle Ages, when the city sat on the pepper trade routes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Basler Läckerli?

Basler Läckerli is a snack from Switzerland: chewy spiced honey-almond squares from Basel. A hard honey and spice biscuit created by Basel spice merchants in the late Middle Ages, when the city sat on the pepper trade routes.

How long does Basler Läckerli take to make?

Basler Läckerli takes 30 min plus 2 days resting of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 squares. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Basler Läckerli?

Yes, within limits. Rum or brandy in place of kirsch. Hazelnuts for some of the almonds, though Basel bakers would object.

What is the most important thing to get right in Basler Läckerli?

Warm the honey and sugar together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is just at a simmer. Do not let it boil — boiled honey caramelises and the biscuits turn hard rather than chewy.