Lebkuchen - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups honey
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
6 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups chopped pecans
3 cups candied fruit (as in fruit cake)
Transparent glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Mix honey, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup butter to the sugar mixture (to melt) and cool this mixture approx 30 minutes.
While the sugar mixture cools, mix the flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, nuts, and fruit in a large mixer bowl.
Add the cooled sugar/butter mixture to the flour mixture along with the 2 slightly beaten eggs. and mix thoroughly. I use my kitchen aid mixer with the dough attachment. The dough will be thick, and sticky.
Place the dough in a covered plastic or glass container and let the dough \"ripen\" for a few days in the refrigerator.
On baking day: Roll the dough on a slightly floured board to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the rolled dough into 1 x 3 inch strips and place on a greased baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack, and cover with transparent glaze. Lebkuchen should ripen in cake box or plastic container at lease one day before serving.
For the transparent glaze, mix the sugar, water, vanilla together and spread thinly on the cookies.