🍪 Basler Läckerli
Basler Läckerli are small, rectangular spiced biscuits from Basel, made with honey, chopped almonds, candied citrus peel, flour and warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, with a splash of kirsch cherry brandy. After baking they are brushed with a thin sugar glaze. The texture is firm and chewy rather than crisp, and the flavour is deep, sweet and aromatic. They are popular at Christmas and as a gift.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g honey
- 150 g sugar
- 150 g almonds, chopped
- 100 g candied orange and lemon peel, finely chopped
- 350 g plain flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp kirsch
- Glaze: 100 g icing sugar and 2–3 tbsp water
Method
- Warm the honey and sugar in a pan until the sugar dissolves; do not let it boil. Take off the heat.
- Stir in the almonds, candied peel, spices and kirsch, then the flour mixed with the baking powder, to a stiff dough.
- Roll out on a floured baking sheet to about 1 cm thick and bake at 200 °C for 15–20 minutes.
- Boil the icing sugar and water briefly and brush the glaze over the hot slab.
- Cut into small rectangles while still warm, leave to cool and store in an airtight tin, where they soften over a few days.
How to make it lighter
- Each piece is small but dense: count them, since a couple of pieces is a typical serving.
- Use a thinner layer of glaze, or skip it, to cut down on sugar.
- Enjoy one with tea or coffee after a meal instead of a larger dessert.
History
Läckerli are generally traced back several centuries to Basel, a city whose merchants traded in spices and honey; the biscuit is often said to date from the late Middle Ages, though exact dates are uncertain. Today they are a well-known speciality of Basel, sold year-round in the city's bakeries.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Basler Läckerli and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →