Walnut Squares - German Christmas Cookies
A great German Christmas cookie with a homemade Lebkuchen flavor, these spiced chocolate walnut cookies are glazed with apricot jam and drizzled with melted chocolate.
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dark chocolate 200g
- 7 ounces (1 stick + 7 tablespoons) unsalted butter 200g, plus extra to grease the cookie sheet
- 1 cup sugar 200g
- 6 eggs separated
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour 100g
- 1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts 200g
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1-1/3 cups dark chocolate icing 200g
- 1-1/3 cups apricot jam 200g
- 80 walnut halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle. Butter a cookie sheet.
- Melt chocolate and let it cool down a little.
- Cream butter; add egg yolks, sugar, and cooled chocolate.
- Beat egg whites until stiff. Add to chocolate mixture along with flour, chopped walnuts, and spices, combining well. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet, spreading evenly.
- Bake on middle rack for 25 minutes. Cool completely.
- Heat the apricot jam with 2 tablespoons of water, and then press the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps. Use a brush to coat the baked dough with the apricot jam.
- Melt the chocolate icing and carefully pour over the apricot glaze. Place the walnut halves evenly over top and cool before cutting into 80 squares, each with a walnut half in the center.
