Holiday Lebkuchen (German Spice Cookies)

Blanch the Almonds: Place almonds in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 1-2 minutes to loosen the skins. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Pat dry, remove skins, and let dry on paper towels. (Prep time: 15 minutes)

Prepare the Fruit and Almond Mixture: In a food processor, pulse half of the blanched almonds until finely chopped. Add the chopped apricots and dates; pulse until the fruit is finely chopped and evenly distributed. Set aside the remaining 1 cup of almonds for decoration. (Prep time: 10 minutes)

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, cloves, cardamom, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar, honey, molasses, water, almond extract, orange zest, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the apricot mixture to the wet ingredients, blending until evenly distributed. Gradually stir in the flour mixture on medium speed until a dough forms. (Prep time: 20 minutes)

Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld and the dough to firm up. (Chill time: 8-12 hours)

Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). (Prep time: 10 minutes)

Roll and Cut the Cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 2 1/2 to 3-inch diameter cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. (Prep time: 20 minutes)

Decorate with Almonds: Lightly press 3 blanched almonds into the top of each cookie, with the tips pointing towards the center, to create a star pattern. (Prep time: 15 minutes)

Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies begin to brown, about 12-15 minutes. (Bake time: 12-15 minutes)

Cool and Glaze: Let the cookies cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are cooling, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon zest until the glaze is smooth. Brush the warm cookies with the glaze and allow them to cool completely before serving. (Cooling and glazing time: 30 minutes)