Lebkuchen (Chocolate-Glazed Almond Spice Cookies)

Ingredients

• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 10 oz. mixed candied citrus peel, finely chopped
• 8 oz. finely ground almonds
• 1 tbsp. milk
• ¹⁄₂ cup flour
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₂ tsp. ground cloves
• ¹⁄₂ tsp. ground cardamom
• ¹⁄₂ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• ¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
• 14 (3 1/2") oblaten wafers (available at Bavaria Sausage Inc.)
• 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Whisk together 1 cup sugar, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl; using a hand mixer, beat mixture until thickened. Stir in candied peel, almonds, milk, flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Place a heaping ¹⁄₄ cup of batter on an oblaten wafer; spread batter to edges, leaving it mounded in center. Repeat with remaining wafers; transfer to parchment paper—lined baking sheets, spaced 1" apart. Let sit until slightly dried, about 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 275°. Bake lebkuchen until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining sugar, corn syrup, and ¹⁄₄ cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over chocolate; let sit 1 minute. Stir until glaze is shiny. Brush lebkuchen with glaze; let cool to set glaze.