Lebkuchen Cookies

4.69 from 77 votes

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Resting Time1

Total Time1 22

Course: Christmas cookies

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Lebkuchen, Lebkuchen recipe

Servings: - 40 cookies

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

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

Video

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