Berliner Brot (German Christmas Cookie)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 1/2 x 13-inch baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

2. Cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until just blended.

3. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and cloves in a separate bowl.

4. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture, and mix until just blended. Add hazelnuts and mix again until just blended. The mixture should have the consistency of a smooth dough.

5. Transfer dough onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth with a rolling pin into all the corners.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until cookie sheet has set, about 20 minutes. Cut into squares while still warm.

7. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and brush icing over the cooling bars.

Cook's Notes:

The original German recipe is in metric - if you have a scale, please measure out 250 g sugar, 150 g unsalted butter, 300 g flour, 60 g cocoa powder, and 150 g ground hazelnuts.

I use parchment paper instead of grease, and it works out fine for me.