Gingerbread squares with plum jam and chocolate (Lebkuchen cookies)

Gingerbread cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4, no fan (if you have convection oven reduce the temperature by 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).
2. Prepare a rectangular 21x21 cm / 8x8 inch pan (measured at the bottom, I used a brownie pan), grease it lightly with butter and line it with baking paper.
3. POT: In a medium pot melt the butter, take the pot off the heat, add honey, orange zest, and finely chopped chocolate, stir until melted. Add the eggs and whisk until combined.
4. BOWL: In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients - sifted wheat and rye flour, sugar, ground nuts, cocoa, gingerbread spice, baking soda, salt.
5. Add the content of the pot to the mixed dry ingredients in the bowl, gently mix with the spatula, but not for too long, only until just combined.
6. BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth out the top, tap the pan slightly (to remove any air bubbles).
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cake is ready when a cake tester/bamboo skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Take the cake out of the pan a leave to cool (it doesn't have to be completely cooled). In the meantime, prepare the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate glaze:

1. Quick way: roughly chop the chocolate and melt using a double-boiler method. Place a metal or glass bowl over a pot with boiling water, the bowl can't touch the water's surface. Add the chocolate to the bowl, stir from time to time until melted. OR
2. Temper the chocolate (it's also quick to do): Chop the chocolate very finely (or grate it on the large holes of a box grater). Melt 3/4 of the chocolate using a double-boiler method: place a bowl (glass or metal, not plastic) over a medium pot with boiling water, the bowl can’t touch the water surface. Add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate to the bowl, wait for 1-2 minutes until almost completely melted, stir, and when it’s completely melted take the bowl off the pot. Add the remaining 1/4 of the chopped chocolate to the bowl and whisk until chocolate is melted.

Divide the cake and layer with jam:

1. Trim the edges of the cake so that they are more even.
2. Cut the gingerbread cake crosswise in half with a long serrated knife.
3. Spread the jam on the bottom half of the cake and cover with the top half.
4. Cut the cake into 16 squares - first into 4 parts, then each part into 4 parts (you should have 16 cubes).

Dip the cookies in chocolate glaze + decorate:

1. Stick each gingerbread cookie on a bamboo skewer and spoon the glaze all over it so that it is coated on all sides. You can also place a cookie on a fork and spoon the glaze over it. Wait for a little until the excess of the glaze drains away, put the mini cakes on a parchment paper. Top each dice with finely chopped nuts or grated orange zest, sprinkles or decorate as you like. You need to top the cookies right away, before the chocolate is set. Set aside until chocolate glaze is set (you can put them in the fridge, it will take 30-60 mins).
2. Keep them in a tightly closed container, in a cool place, for about 4-5 days.
3. Enjoy!