Elisenlebkuchen (Flourless Nut Gingerbread)

Instructions

1. Beat the eggs, granulated sugar and honey with an electric mixer on high speed until very thick and pale and the mixture falls in a ribbon, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. In another bowl, combine the ground blanched almonds, ground hazelnuts, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Fold into the egg mixture in two additions to make a thick, sticky paste.
3. Cover and let the paste rest at room temperature for 30 minutes so the nuts absorb moisture and it firms enough to hold a dome.
4. Arrange 12 baking wafers (Oblaten) on each parchment-lined baking sheet. With a wet spoon, mound about 38 g (2 tablespoons) of paste on each wafer and spread it to the edges with a wet knife, leaving it domed about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) in the center.
5. Let the cookies stand uncovered for 1 hour so a light skin forms, which keeps them from cracking and spreading. During the last 20 minutes, heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
6. Bake until the surface is dry and the edges are pale golden while the centers still feel soft when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes, swapping and rotating the sheets halfway. Do not overbake; they firm as they cool, about 1 hour.
7. Stir the powdered sugar and water into a thin, smooth glaze and brush it over half of the cookies while they are still warm so it dries to a thin, glassy shell. Cool all the cookies completely on a rack, about 30 minutes.
8. Melt the bittersweet chocolate gently over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, and spread it over the tops of the remaining cookies. Let set at cool room temperature, about 30 minutes.