Lebkuchen – Traditional German Cookies
, Updated Dec 13, 2025
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Make my Lebkuchen recipe and fall in love with these traditional German cookies. Soft, chewy, full of festive spices and perfect for gifting!
🌟 Want to create an international Christmas cookie platter this year? Pair these German cookies with Austrian Linzer Cookies, Greek Melomakarona, Belgian Speculoos and classic American Sugar Cookies!
What are Lebkuchen?
Lebkuchen (pronounced layb-koo-kuhn) date back to medieval Germany, particularly in the city of Nuremberg, often made by monks in cathedral kitchens. They are kind of a cross between a biscuit and a cake – chewy, spiced, nutty and utterly irresisitble. Over time, they became a beloved holiday tradition. Many versions use Lebkuchengewürz (a German spice mix), but outside Germany, we often replicate it using cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.
What makes them truly special is how their texture and flavor deepen as they age – the aroma intensifies, the spices soften, and the chew becomes more forgiving. For me Lebkuchen truly embody the essence of Christmas and once you take a bite I am sure you will agree!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Honey & brown Sugar – The sweet heart of the dough. Honey gives chew and flavor; brown sugar adds depth and moisture.
- Butter and egg – Enrich the dough and bind everything together.
- Ground almonds – Help with texture, add nutty depth and help the cookies stay fresh as they mature.
- Flour and leaveners (baking powder, baking soda) – Keep the lebkuchen cookie-like but with a light lift.
- Spices and zest – Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and citrus zest give warmth and festive aroma.
- Glaze – A thin lemon sugar glaze adds gloss, sweetness and helps seal the cookies. You can also cover them in chocolate (see tip box).
- Optional Decorations – Almond slivers, sanding sugar, chocolate drizzles for festive sparkle.
How to Make Lebkuchen
- Measure the honey and sugar in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second bursts. Stir together vigorously until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the cubed butter and citrus zest and stir until the butter melts.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and the beaten egg.
- Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough. Mist a spatula or your hands with oil and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare the glaze. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a thin and runny glaze.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to a thickness of 2cm (just under an inch). Cut shapes using round, star or heart cookie cutters. Space the cookies out on the silicone mat and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and bake in batches.
- Transfer the cookies carefully to a wire rack and brush with the glaze while they are still a little warm. Leave the glaze to dry and add a second layer if you like. I added a little sanding sugar to some of my cookies and sprayed them with silver luster powder to give them a little sparkle!
- Put the cookies in a cake tin, separated by parchment paper so that they don’t stick. Place a few strips of orange peel in the tin. The lebkuchen will become more delicious the longer you keep them, making them the ideal festive gift!
How to Cover Lebkuchen with Chocolate
Lebkuchen are traditionally simply brushed with a thin glaze made with icing sugar and lemon. They are usually just left plain or decorated with almond slivers. You can also cover the cookies with melted chocolate if you prefer – or combine the two and drizzle the glazed cookies with chocolate!
- Melt half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips by placing in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
- Take the pan off the heat once the chocolate chips have almost melted and add another half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips. Stir gently until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
- Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate and place on a cooling rack to dry before storing.
How to Freeze Lebkuchen Cookies
Lebkuchen actually freeze really well for up to six months, so you can bake ahead and still enjoy that soft, spiced texture later.
- Let the cookies cool completely after baking. It’s best to freeze them without glaze or icing, as it can become sticky or crack once thawed.
- Arrange the undecorated cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze until firm.
- Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, placing parchment or wax paper between layers. Label with the date and what’s inside.
- Thawing: Let the lebkuchen defrost at room temperature, either in their closed container or on a wire rack. A slow thaw helps keep their soft, chewy texture and reduces condensation. Once thawed, you can glaze or ice them as desired.
- Let them mellow: Just like fresh lebkuchen, frozen-then-thawed cookies still benefit from a little “rest” in a tin. Store them in a cookie tin with parchment once thawed and enjoy over the next week or two.
Lucy’s Pro Tip
Tips and Troubleshooting
- If your dough is too stiff, add some lemon juice, a little at a time. Remember to let the dough rest overnight before rolling out.
- Avoid overbaking the cookies — you want chewy centers, not hard cookies. They should look lightly golden around the edges but still soft in the center. Remember that they’ll firm up slightly as they cool, so don’t wait for a hard texture in the oven.
- If the glaze is too runny, let it rest a minute before brushing or adjust by adding more powdered sugar; if it is too thick, thin with a drop of water or lemon juice.
- Be patient! Lebkuchen really benefit from aging so they are perfect for baking a couple of weeks before the holidays and storing for a week or even longer. The wonderful aroma of the spices intensifies as the cookies become softer and even more delicious as they age! Serve with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate or with mulled wine!
HAVE YOU MADE MY LEBKUCHEN RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Lebkuchen Cookies
Make a batch of Lebkuchen and you are sure to fall in love with these traditional German cookies! Heavenly spiced soft cookies that are cross between a biscuit and a cake and only get better with age.
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Lebkuchen
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- 1 cup (200 g) dark soft brown sugar (Muscovado sugar)
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp white pepper (optional)
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) flour all-purpose / plain
- 1 cup (100g) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice use only if dough is a bit dry
- 1 tsp vegetable oil , for the bowl
For the glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or to taste (adjust as needed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum optional
To decorate (optional)
- sprinkles or sanding sugar
- flaked almonds
To store
- Orange peel strips
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Measure the honey and sugar in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second bursts. Stir together vigorously with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves.½ cup (170 g) honey, 1 cup (200 g) dark soft brown sugar
- Add the cubed butter and zest and stir until the butter melts.¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, 1 tsp orange zest
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, zest and egg.1 large egg beaten, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp fine sea salt, ½ tsp ground allspice, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp grated nutmeg, ⅛ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice as needed.2 ½ cups (300 g) flour, 1 cup (100g) ground almonds, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Mist a spatula or your hands with oil and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.1 tsp vegetable oil
Bake the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare the glaze: mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a thin and runny glaze.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to a thickness of 2cm (just under an inch).
- Cut shapes using round, star or heart cookie cutters. Space the cookies out on the silicone mat and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up any scraps and rolling out again and bake in batches.
Glaze
- Combine the ingredients for the glaze,1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp rum
- Transfer the cookies carefully to a wire rack and brush with the glaze while they are still a little warm.
- Leave the glaze to dry and add a second layer if desired. Add sanding sugar, sprinkles or slivered almonds to decorate if you like. Check the recipe notes if you want to cover the lebkuchen in chocolate.sprinkles or sanding sugar, flaked almonds, 1 tbsp lemon juice
Store
- Put the cookies in a cake tin, separated by parchment paper so that they don’t stick. Place a few strips of orange peel in the tin. Lebkuchen become more delicious the longer you keep them making them the ideal festive gift!Orange peel strips
Notes
Chocolate glaze
- To cover the Lebkuchen in chocolate, melt half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips by placing in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
- Take the pan off the heat once the chocolate chips have almost melted and add another half a cup (90g) dark chocolate chips. Stir gently until the chocolate chips have melted completely. Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate and leave to dry on a wire rack before storing.
Nutrition
Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
What if you don’t have cardamom and are all those other spices the same thing as cardamom when they’re blended together or can you add the cardamom maybe to the glaze to give it that special cardamom taste or not?
I would not add cardamom to the glaze. The spice blend is very specific to these cookies but if you don’t have all the spices don’t let that stop you – they will still taste great
Have you ever tried to freeze the cookies after being baked? Wondering how to do it and how they would be
I have not but I believe they freeze well without the glaze. I will add a tip box in the post – thanks for your question!
My husband only enjoys them frozen! Just put in plastic containers, with wax paper between layers, and you’re good to go.
Would this work with gluten free 1 for 1 flour? Has anyone tried?
I haven’t tested it but in theory it should work fine
I have and they turned out just fine! Delicious.
I have just done this exact thing and they came out fine. Just need to adjust the cooking time a little as they take a little longer to bake
Hello! In the step where you add the butter and orange zest, the ingredients listed say “juice of one lemon” which I added but then in retrospect, I think that might be an error as my dough was much wetter than expected and I had to add quite a bit of extra flour?
and then later for the glaze when I was expecting to add lemon juice because it was listed in the ingredient list, it wasn’t listed as a quantity underneath the instruction “combine ingredients for the glaze”.
hi sam – there’s only 1 tbsp of lemon juice in the dough – and I specify to use it only if needed. The rest is for the glaze – I apologies if there was an error.
I think there’s a typo in your recipe. It says 300 g flour equals 1 3/4 cups flour, but I know that 120 g flour equals about 1 cup flour, so 300 g flour should be closer to 2 1/2 cups flour. It’s probably why some people are baking perfect cookies, while others say the dough is too moist. I added some extra flour, and was happy with the result, but it’s going to be really frustrating for anyone using cups instead of weights.
I also found the lemon flavor in the glaze overpowers all the wonderful spices in the cookies, and these start to taste more like a lemon cookie than a gingerbread. It could be that my lemon was simply extra strong, but next time I’ll try using 1 tsp lemon juice and finish the glaze with water.
I don’t want to sound too critical, I think these are a wonderful cookie, I love the chewy texture and I’m excited to make them again. But I wanted to let people know about the flour.
I’m still giving them a five star rating, because they’re just that good.
Hi Theresa – thanks for your comment, I will make sure to adjust the recipe to reflect your observations.
when i was little, there was a coffee shop nearby, my mother loved to visit, called the Vienna Cafe. whenever i went there, my mother bought me a Gingerbread Man. now at this cafe, the Gingerbread man wasnt stiff hard gingerbread but actually this Lebkuchen cookie. And i couldn’t enjoy a gingerbread man after that , as I tried to find another, but it wasn’t till I tried this recipe that all the memories came flooding back. it was this cookie. thank you so much. i never thought i could bake such a treat. now I make it for my family, friends and neighbors.
Hi Julina – that’s so sweet and am so glad you found the taste of your childhood!
Most delicious lebkuchen I’ve ever tried. Thank you for the recipe 😃
So glad to hear it!!
left it in the fridge overnight and it’s hard as a rock! what must I do?
take out of the fridge to come to room temp and if possible gently knead it – the heat from your hands should soften it
These cookies were so yummy! We made them two days ago and they’re all gone. The lemon and orange zest kicks them up to a new level. I didn’t have allspice or nutmeg but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My two year old loved using his snowman and Christmas tree cookie cutters!
Lucy, thanks for this recipe. I love that it incorporated almond flour and citrus zest. My cookies seemed to be raw in the middle, kind of soft and darker in the middle than the outside of the cookie.
I put them back in the oven and they spread some more and got flat and after drying they got hard.
Should I try a lower temp or thinner cookie? I didn’t substitute anything, more than an hour rest, 350F temp and close to 3/4 inch thick.
The flavor was AMAZING 😍