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Assorted shaped lebkuchen decorated with white and chocolate icing.
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5 / 3 votes

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen are traditional German Christmas cookies that are subtly reminiscent of gingerbread. Although actually we prefer to refer to them as "moments of perfectly spiced cut-out cookie deliciousness."
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time5 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: German
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 128

Equipment

  • Cookie cutters; piping bags (optional)

Ingredients

For the lebkuchen

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons molasses (NOT blackstrap molasses)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange (about 1 teaspoon)
  • Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • A pinch ground cloves
  • A pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup ground almonds
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Edible silver balls (dragées)

For the chocolate glaze

  • 1 cup milk or dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower or other mild vegetable oil

For the white icing

  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water or lemon juice

Instructions

Make and bake the lebkuchen

  • In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, butter, brown sugar, and orange and lemon zests and place over low heat, stirring, until the butter has melted and everything is well combined. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
  • Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together and then stir in the ground almonds.
  • Add the melted butter mixture and the beaten egg to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. (The dough will be pretty sticky. That’s okay.)
  • Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead, pushing and pressing the dough onto the work surface and turning it around often. Do this for just a minute or so, until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (6 mm) on a lightly floured surface.
  • Use your cookie cutters to stamp out shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Gather up the dough scraps, roll the dough again, and cut as many shapes as you can. (Alternatively, you can simply cut the cookie dough into 2-inch squares.)
  • Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Make the chocolate glaze

  • Combine the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl placed over but not touching a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and then let cool for 10 minutes before using. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl in the microwave on low in 10-second increments.)

Make the white icing

  • Sift the confectioners sugar into a bowl and gradually whisk in enough water or lemon juice to make a smooth icing that coats the back of a spoon. If a runnier icing is desired, add more water or juice a few drops at a time.

Decorate the lebkuchen

  • Spread the chocolate glaze or icing over the cookies with a knife, offset spatula, or back of a spoon. Decorate with silver balls or pipe more glaze or icing over the cookies with a piping bag. Let the chocolate or icing set completely before serving.

Notes

  1. Storage--Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To maintain the soft texture, keep an apple wedge in the container.
  2. Freezing--The lebkuchen can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  3. Self-rising flour--To make your own self-rising flour use 2 2/3 teaspoons baking powder + 3/4 teaspoon salt + 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 9mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 16g