Lebkuchen – German Christmas Cookies
Back at the beginning of the week I put up a poll about holiday baking, asking what types of recipes you all would like to see featured here on Brown Eyed Baker leading up to the holiday season. (If you haven’t thrown in your two cents yet, head on over and vote!) In the comments section, Heather of Squirrel Bread asked about Lebkuchen and said that she had a couple of recipes but had yet to make them. I emailed her and told her I hadn’t heard of them but would do some research and plan on making them. Less than a day later I was browsing through some of my cookbooks just looking for ideas and inspiration and wouldn’t you know, I ran across a recipe for Lebkuchen. I considered it fate and set out to make a batch right then and there. I did some reading and research and looked at other recipes and came up with this gem.
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Lebkuchen is a traditional German cookie that is usually baked for Christmas. It is most like a soft gingerbread cookie, made with molasses and full of warm spices. The glaze provides the perfect complement, a little sweet and with a hint of lemon. All of the flavors blend together so nicely and taste like the holidays; one bite and you will want to crank up the holiday music and trim the tree. You could roll these a little thinner and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and decorate them. No matter how you make them, you will be glad you did!
Lebkuchen
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) ground nutmeg
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground allspice
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (169.5 ml) honey
- ½ cup (168.5 ml) molasses
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioner's sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- 2. Sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Set aside.
- 3. Beat the egg and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
- 4. Beat in the honey and molasses until thoroughly combined.
- 5. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
- 6. Turn the dough out from the bowl onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as kneaded, until a stiff dough is formed.
- 7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
- 8. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 18 3x2-inch rectangles. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- 9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, water and lemon juice and brush or spread on top of the cookies.
- 10. Allow the glaze to firm, and then store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I make a version of these cookies every year, however I don’t use any molasses and I replace some of the flour with ground almonds. I also heat the honey – then add the brown sugar. When they come out of the oven I brush both sides with a thin icing. They are chewy and delicious – my whole family and neighbourhood are fans. I make them early in the season and keep them in a sealed container till around Christmas. My recipe comes the closest to the cookies I had in Germany as a child.
Wow those look amazing (both the recipe and your photographs). I’ve gotta try these.
Lovely — I’ve seen this traditional recipe in cookie books and have always been curious to try it!
These look & sound delicious! I usually buy a few packages of Lebkuchen at Trader Joe’s as my son loves them. But you have inspired me to bake some myself this year! Thanks for experimenting & sharing! :)
I haven’t tried these but love the spices. Very Christmas-y
Many years ago I worked for a German family (in Australia) & was lucky enough to join them in their Christmas celebrations. Seeing your Lebkuchen took me back to that time. Simply gorgeous cookies & photography.
These cookies look great, and I love the picture of the spices. I can smell them from here!
I love your photos! Always highlight every single detail bit!
I have never made these cookies but know of them as my family is of German descent. My new years resolution that started last week is to learn about and make (and of course blog) about real German food. This is one of the better recipes I’ve seen for lebkuchen. Usually when I try to buy them they are hard and I don’t care for them. I am saving this recipe and making for Christmas this year.
I attempted to make them last year… not really succeeded. Yours look beautiful!
ohhh, these might be on my christmas cooking baking list! Thank you so much :)
I love these cookies. Lucky me, I have a friend living in Germany who mails me some every year!! Yours look divine.
BethieofVA I have been trying hard to find a way to have their festive tins sent to australia. Schmidt will send them for $277 dollars postage… way too much. However the tin does weigh five kilos when packed.
If your german friend or yourself could give me any tips i would appreciate it.
with thanks Jen from Perth Aust.
If you can give me any clues as to
oo these sound delicious with all those spices!
This reminds me of my childhood and My papa used to bring them from Basel for Christmas…thank you so much!
these sound really good. I like the glaze thats put over them
I love your shot of all the spices! These look amazing, I should make them for my Dad!
My Dad told me he would eat these as a kid, so last year I attempted to make them for Christmas. However, they turned out rock hard! I was scared for my teeth when I bit in. I did some research and found that they were often left in airtight containers with orange slices to soften them up (though this didn’t work for me either). I don’t know if you have any advice to offer – did yours come out of the oven nice and soft already? I’d love to try them again this year.
My Tante told me they made these at the first of December so they could hang them on the tree. Hers were usually Star shaped and hard as a rock.
We loved them anyway. She would always send me hunting for oplate? too put under her maccaroons and the lebkuchen she would make. I’d like to carry on a family tradition but she stored so many recipies in her head. Her cakes were wonderful.
The wafers you put the cookies on are called oblaten. They are thin, paperlike, and tasteless, and prevent the cookies from burning on your baking sheet. This way you don’t have to grease the baking sheet first. These are used often in german cookie recipes.
Try leaving apple slices in airtight containers instead. This will soften them up!
My Oma used to make these, and I think I will be making them again for Christmas! Thank you for the recipe!
Looks very tasty – I have made german cookies once before and they were to die for!
I’m not a huge fan of lebkuchen, but these look really good! I like that they are flatter.
A cookie without butter? I must try that!
Lebkuchen are also cookies baked in Alsace (North Eastern France) before Christmas :) I love them!!
Hi Neel – I just used a shiny white plate to photograph the cookies.
This sounds great!
you baked them! i remember walking around Munich… the street vendors’ stalls hung with heart-shaped Lebkuchen covered in bright colored icing. thank you for working on that for me. it’s like a pre-Christmas post-gift! they look terrific.
cheers,
*heather*
These look so yummy and would be wonderful for the holidays! I bet they smelled wonderful as they baked.
Wow, never heard of them before, but they sounds really delicious.
Absolutely delicious !! I agree : we can almost smell them!!
“auch du lieber”… or at least that’s what I’m imagining my mother to say about this recipe. Thanks for bringing back some childhood memories. I can almost smell them.
I like to call these stank cookies.. They came out horrible & I hated them
Well maybe that’s because you’re a bad cook.
or, you just messed up the recipe.
I made them today and think they forgot something in the recipe, they are as hard as a rock. I made lebkuchen before but with a different recipe and came out real good
i also made these, today. something is definitely missing, as they came out like hockey pucks. tried making them a little thicker, and got doughy hockey pucks. flavor was good, but some re-vamping is needed.
I think a 1/2 tsp baking soda is missing. Try adding it for a softer cookie.
I made this and added some baking soda. Also the bake time is too long. The ones I left in the oven ten minutes were too hard. The ones I took out sooner were just right.
there are different lebkuchen recipes and this one should be make a few weeks in advance of Christmas, stored in a tin with a tiny sliver of apple or orange. My mom was from Germany and she preferred the orange. The cookies soften and get more flavorful.
They have to be stored in a tin with an apple slice in order to soften up.
Love you photography. The white surface that you put the cookies on, is that a shiny white plate? or did you use mirror like reflecting plate?
Love your site, its energetic and enthusiastic as well as yummy. However…as a journalist, I’m surprised that you didn’t credit the cookbook/cook who wrote the recipe. Just noticed this on the Lebkuchen cookie site. Maybe I missed it. If so, my apologies.