A favorite Christmas cookie

This German lebkuchen recipe came to me from an American woman I met on the Seattle-Victoria (British Columbia) ferry one year. I usually increase the amount of chopped orange peel and citron, and omit the frosting altogether, but the recipe is fine as written.

Lebkuchen

1 pound honey

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoons baking soda, dissolved in warm water

1 tablespoon candied orange peel, chopped

1 tablespoon citron, chopped

Grated rind of a lemon

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fruit juice

3 eggs slightly beaten

6 or 7 cups flour

Boil honey and sugar together, stirring constantly. Cool; then add remaining ingredients. After mixing, put in refrigerator until well chilled, for easier handling.

Roll out and cut in Christmas or other shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 325 degrees F. until lightly browned.

For icing, add lemon juice to powdered sugar, then add enough boiling water to make a rather thin icing. Taste to see if there is enough lemon in it. The recipe makes about 200 cookies.