Lebkuchen Recipe

In a pan, melt together the butter, honey, treacle and muscovado sugar. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Mix the egg into the butter mixture, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough.

Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface until smooth, then shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to just over 0.5cm thick. Use pastry cutters to stamp out different-sized stars and place on parchmentlined baking sheets, re-rolling the trimmings to create more. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and dip the biscuit bases in it, shaking gently to remove any excess. Place, chocolate-side down, on parchment-lined trays, then chill until set.

If the chocolate has set ragged, carefully shave off any excess with a sharp knife. Mix the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp cold water to make a thick, pourable icing. Transfer to a piping bag with a small nozzle or drizzle it from a teaspoon to decorate. Keep in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.