I have said before that I think the best souvenirs are recipes, and today I’d like to share with you one of those. When I was in Germany, I came to love and look forward to eating lebkuchen every Christmas, and my favourite ones were always either dipped or coated in chocolate.
These classic German gingerbread cookies are thick, soft gingerbread cookies with a wonderful chewy texture and delicious Christmas flavor. To keep this recipe simple, these cookies are made in a food processor, rolled into ropes, and then cut into sections rather than being made with a cookie scoop.
The taste and smell of this German lebkuchen recipe is one to make you think of German Christmas markets, where the smells and sounds of Christmas are in the air, and everything we love about the atmosphere of the Christmas season seems to come alive in one place!
What are lebkuchen?
Lebkuchen are a type of traditional German Christmas cookies, much like a soft gingerbread. They are usually made with honey, brown sugar, candied dried fruit, warm spices, and almonds. The cookies themselves are soft and chewy, with mild (but very present) gingerbread spices, and a glassy lemon glaze on top.
Interestingly enough, not all lebkuchen recipes include ginger at all! I’ve seen these delicious cookies made with more of a focus on spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Rather than being a ginger cookie, they only resemble gingerbread with molasses and spices being the most prominent flavours.
What is on the bottom of lebkuchen?
For this recipe, I’ve opted to bake the dough directly on parchment paper and then dip the bottoms of the cookies in chocolate. Some recipes, however, have a little round piece of starch paper on the bottom of each cookie called “Oblaten,” which is very similar to rice paper (and is there to keep the cookies from sticking).
This recipe does not require that base.
Using lebkuchen spice
If you are wanting to make your lebkuchen with “Lebkuchen spice” (a pre-mixed spice blend similar to gingerbread spice mix) this holiday season, you can substitute all of the spices in this recipe for 4 tsp.
This spice mix is available for purchase in many grocery stores in German-speaking countries, or it may be found at local specialty European markets in North America.
How long do lebkuchen last?
These cookies will easily last (dare I admit it) for months without tasting even a little bit stale. I love this about them as well, since I like do a bunch of Christmas baking early in the season and then have it available to enjoy and to offer to company.
If you prefer, they do also freeze well, and they can easily be kept for several months in the freezer.
Wrapping lebkuchen cookies as Christmas gifts
I love making cookies as gifts for people, and pretty packaging is one of my favourite things. These cookies can easily be packaged in clear cellophane bags, with a white twist tie and a bit of satin ribbon or curling ribbon. Or, my favourite way: in brown bakery boxes with sprigs of greenery, twine, and red berries.
Just make sure to let the lemon sugar glaze and chocolate base fully set before you package your cookies.
How to make lebkuchen from scratch
This simple recipe is one of my favourites to make for Christmas because it is so delicious and so easy to make. I’ve seen lebkuchen made in a variety of ways, but in this recipe, I just throw all of my ingredients in a food processor, blend them up, and then cut the cookies with a knife or bench scraper (you don’t even have to scoop them or bother with cookie cutters!).
Here’s a breakdown of how it’s done (with all of the detailed amounts on the recipe card below and detailed step-by-step images just below that).
1&2 – Heat the oven and make the dough
Preheat the oven 375 degrees F.
In a large food processor, combine all of the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, spices, baking soda) with egg, brown sugar, honey, molasses, almonds, candied fruit, orange peel, and lemon peel. Process the mixture on the “Dough” setting until the mixture is well combined and the nuts and fruit are ground into small pieces. Scrape down the sides and then pulse a few more times to make sure all of the flour is incorporated.
3 – Refrigerate the dough
Scrape the sticky, soft lebkuchen dough into a medium bowl or large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Spending a long time in the refrigerator makes the dough a little bit easier to work with, allows some of the gluten to develop for the cookies’ texture, and it allows time for extra flavor to develop in the dough.)
4&5 – Shape the cookies (without a cookie scoop!)
Scrape 1/2 of the dough out of the bowl onto a well floured work surface. Dust with flour, and roll into a long rope, about 1-inch thick (or a little smaller). Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch chunks.
Shape each of the pieces into a small round, about the size of a walnut (or a little smaller if you prefer). Set the cookies on parchment lined sheets with a good amount of room between them, to allow the cookies to spread. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
6 – Bake the cookies
The cookies should bake for 12-15 minutes or until puffy the tops are slightly cracked looking.
7&8 – Make the lemon glaze, and brush the warm cookies
While the cookies are baking, make the glaze by whisking the lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg white, salt, and powdered sugar together until smooth.
Brush the hot cookies with lemon glaze.
9 – Let the glaze set
Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes. You can leave the cookies on the baking sheet for this process, or remove them to a wire rack once they are able to be moved without breaking.
10&11 – Dip the cookies in chocolate
Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval.
Dip the base of each cookie in the chocolate, and set them down on a parchment lined cookie sheet to set.
12 – Storage
Store your lebkuchen in an airtight container (or containers).
Recipe tips
Allow the chocolate to set completely before moving the cookies.
This might seem obvious, but don’t be too eager to move the cookies until the chocolate is fully set. This will keep your cookies crisp and clean looking!
Make sure the dough is well combined.
As noted in the recipe below, you want to make sure that everything gets mixed together really well by scraping down the sides of the food processor, and blending in any last bits of flour or other ingredients.
Let the dough rest overnight.
This step is necessary to make your dough workable and to develop the maximum amount of flavor.
Use plenty of flour to dust your work surface.
This is a very sticky dough! Use plenty of flour on your work surface to make this job quick and easy.
Make sure the cookies are baked through.
To make sure these cookies get nice and round and puffy, they need to be baked through! Make sure to follow the recipe so that your cookies turn out perfectly.
Let the icing melt before you spread it.
I always dollop a little bit of the glaze onto each cookie and then go back and spread it after a moment or two. This will make it easier to spread a thin layer without breaking the cookies.
Keep the chocolate from getting too hot.
Don’t scorch the chocolate! This will make it thick and difficult to work with. If your bowl begins to feel hot before your chocolate is fully melted, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before continuing to melt the chocolate.
You will need:
- Ingredients (see recipe card)
- Food processor
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spatulas
- Bench scraper or sharp knife
- Miniature sieve (optional)
- Zester
- Juicer
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Lifter
- Pastry brush
- Glass bowl or double boiler, for melting chocolate
Lebkuchen (Soft Gingerbread) Cookies
This is a chocolate dipped, soft and chewy gingerbread cookie, made with honey, fruit and nuts. This recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
- 3-1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup molasses (I like table molasses)
- 1/2 cup almonds chopped or slivered
- 1/2 cup candied mixed fruit and peel
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Glaze
- 1 large egg white beaten till frothy
- 1-1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
Chocolate Base
- 4 cups dark chocolate (I use chocolate wafers or candy melts)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven 375 degrees F.
-
In a large food processor, combine all of the dough ingredients. Process the mixture on the "Dough" setting until the mixture is well combined and the nuts and fruit are ground into small pieces. Scrape down the sides and then pulse a few more times to make sure all of the flour is incorporated.
-
Scrape the sticky, soft dough into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
-
Scrape 1/2 of the dough out of the bowl onto a well floured work surface. Dust with flour, and roll into a long rope, about 1-inch thick (or a little smaller). Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch chunks.
-
Shape each of the pieces into a small round, about the size of a walnut (or a little smaller if you prefer). Set the cookies on parchment lined sheets with a good amount of room between them, to allow the cookies to spread.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
-
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until puffy the tops are slightly cracked looking.
-
While the cookies are baking, make the glaze by whisking all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth.
-
Brush the hot cookies with lemon glaze.
Tip: Using a pastry brush, gently dot 3-5 of the hot cookies at a time with lemon glaze. Once the glaze has softened with the heat, brush it gently over the surface of the cookies until they are covered.
-
Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes. You can leave the cookies on the baking sheet for this process, or remove them to a wire rack once they are able to be moved without breaking.
-
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval.
-
Dip the base of each cookie in the chocolate, and set them down on a parchment lined cookie sheet to set.
-
Store your lebkuchen in sealed airtight containers.
Recipe Notes
These cookies will last well for a long time at room temperature, and they also freeze very well.
Step by step images:
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Nanaimo Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- Easy Milk Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Authentic German Black Forest Cake
That’s all for today! I hope you love these cookies as much as I do! If you make them, leave me a comment or tag me in your photos on Instagram to let me know what you thought; it makes my day to know that my recipes are being enjoyed!
Happy baking, and until next time!
–Naomi
This post contains affiliate links.
Hi Naomi, I saved this recipe, because I love lebkuchen. I just ate one that my sister sent me for Christmas. I’m German and that is one thing I crave come Advent season. I’ll have to give these a try!
I hope this are up to a “Real German” standard! Would love to hear how you enjoy them. I had to learn to make them after spending time in Germany… They are a treasure! Thank you for your comment!
Ohhh this brings back memories of eating ginger cookies at Christmas time! I especially loved the soft ginger cookies!
Love it! Thanks for the comment!