lebkuchen recipe

Classic lebkuchen cookies with a lemon glaze. Prepared in advance, these traditional German Christmas cookies are gingerbread-like in flavor and have a soft and chewy texture. These cookies are a great festive treat for the holiday season! Recipe featured from Midwest Made from Shauna Sever.

Lebkuchen Cookies

(250 g) clover honey

(170 g) dark muscovado (or organic dark brown sugar)

(57 g) unsalted butter

lemon zest

lemon juice

(384 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

baking soda

fine sea salt

cinnamon

allspice

nutmeg

ginger

cloves

(120 g) confectioner's sugar (sifted)

Prepare the Cookies: In a 1½ quart saucepan, combine the honey and muscovado sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir gently until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture just begins to come to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool until warm to touch. Whisk in the egg and lemon zest and juice.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

On low speed, stir in the wet ingredients until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Laura&#39;s Note: This will be slack and loose, don&#39;t worry! Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled ceramic bowl and cover with a plate - you want the dough to be able to breathe.

Allow the dough to &quot;ripen&quot; at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days - do not refrigerate. (The large amount of honey and sugar will keep bacteria at bay.)

Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to a ¼-inch/6 mm thickness. Use a bench scraper or thin spatula to get under the dough and scoot it around in the flour occasionaly to prevent sticking. Cut shapes with 2-inch/5 cm cutters and place 1 inch/2½ cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sweep away any excess flour with a pastry brush.

Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. (Watch closely, as honey in the dough can make the edges catch and burn quickly.)

Prepare the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner&#39;s sugar, egg white, lemon juice, and salt for a smooth, thin, runny glaze. (Add a few drops of lemon juice, as needed, to achieve this consistency).

Let the cookies firm up and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Run an offset spatula under the cookies to gently looesn them from the parchment paper, leaving them on the sheets.

While still warm, brush the cookies with glaze and transfer to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool and the glaze to dry completely.

The secret to a perfect lebkuchen texture is in the resting phase: place the cookies into airtight containers in layers, seperated by parchment or wax paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container before sealing. Store in a cool place for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the cookies to ripen once more before serving.

German Lebkuchen Cookies

all-purpose flour

brown sugar

honey

dark molasses

almonds

sugar

of lemon juice

water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg,...

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and allspice.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg...

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg and the brown sugar together for 3 minutes.

Stir in the honey and molasses to the...

Stir in the honey and molasses to the egg/sugar mixture.

Add all the dry ingredients to the wet...

Add all the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Beat until well blended. Your dough will be crumbled, but when pressed together will hold its shape.

Transfer dough to waxed fabric, plastic wrap, or...

Transfer dough to waxed fabric, plastic wrap, or a storage container with a lid. Wrap it up or cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your...

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350˚F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Remove your dough from the refrigerator and turn...

Remove your dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll dough to a thickness of ¼” to...

Roll dough to a thickness of ¼” to ½”.  Use a 3” round cookie cutter to cut out circles or use a knife to cut 3” squares.

Place the cookies an inch apart on a...

Place the cookies an inch apart on a cookie sheet and top with a few sliced almonds. There is no need to press them down as they will stick to the cookie as it rises during baking.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. They will be done...

Bake for 9-10 minutes. They will be done when you can touch the cookie top without leaving an imprint.

Remove cookies and immediately transfer to a wire...

Remove cookies and immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling, combine the ingredients...

While the cookies are cooling, combine the ingredients for the icing in a small bowl.

When the cookies are almost completely cooled, dip...

When the cookies are almost completely cooled, dip the top of each cookie in the icing and spread with the back of a knife. You can also use a pastry brush and brush it on. Place the glazed cookie back on the wire rack to dry.

After the icing has hardened, store in an...

After the icing has hardened, store in an airtight container.

Lebkuchen cookies are wunderbar! Warm gingerbread spices meet soft cakey dough and delicate frosting. A German gem that'll make your holiday party special.

Lebkuchen

heavy cream

white vinegar

almond flour

orange peel

lemon peel

salt

dark brown sugar

vegetable shortening (at room temperature)

unsulfured molasses

confectioner's sugar (sifted)

milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment; set aside.

Mix cream and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Whisk together&nbsp;the all-purpose flour with the almond flour, candied orange and lemon peels, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, in a medium mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar, shortening, and molasses on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Pour in thickened cream and mix until smooth.

Gradually add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed, until just combined.

Using a 1/4 cookie scoop&nbsp;shape the dough into mounds, placing on prepared baking sheets, 3 inches apart. Arrange 3 whole almonds in a star pattern on the top of each cookie. Gently, slightly flatten the cookies with your hand.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, until lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wired rack to cool completely.

When cookies are completely cool, make the glaze. Add confectioners sugar and milk to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

Dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off, then set on a wire rack to allow the glaze to set.

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.

(170 g) honey

(200 g) dark soft brown sugar ((Muscovado sugar))

¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter

lemon

orange

tbsp lemon juice (use only if dough is a bit dry)

(100 grams) ground almonds

tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

tsp grated nutmeg

⅛ tsp white pepper ((optional))

tsp vegetable oil (,

(120 g) icing sugar ((powdered sugar))

tsp vanilla extract

tsp rum (optional)

sprinkles sugar

Orange peel strips

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.

Add the cubed butter and zest and stir until the butter melts.

Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt and spices and egg.

Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice as needed.

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). 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.

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.

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!

So excited to make this for the first time! How long is too long for the dough to rest at room temperature though? I remember my Grandma leaving her Lebkuchen out for a week!

They taste really good! The best ones I have made, though I added a bit more of each spice as I prefer it that way. Leaving them in a sealed tin for 2 weeks with orange rind, was a game changer. Everyone loved them..

Everything came together really lovely. I can’t wait to bake them tomorrow. I have a gluten allergy and was so tempted to try gluten-free flour, but wanted the bakes to be completely authentic for my dad. He is a first generation immigrant.

Hi there!
If I use the traditional Lebkuchengewürz, how much do I put into the recipe?
Looking forward to making these this weekend!

Absolutely fantastic. Chocolate glaze made it even special.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Absolutely delicious - even without the glaze! I needed to put the dough in the fridge to firm it up a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMoP544Oaxc

Make my Lebkuchen recipe and fall in love with these traditional German cookies. Soft, chewy, full of festive spices and perfect for gifting!

Full printable recipe 
https://www.supergoldenbakes.com/lebkuchen-recipe/
Find all my recipes on SupergoldenBakes blog: 
https://www.supergoldenbakes.com/


Connect with me here:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supergolden88​
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/supergoldenb
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/supergolden
Twitter https://twitter.com/supergolden88/​

Lebkuchen - Traditional German Cookies - Supergolden Bakes

Top 4 lebkuchen recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed lebkuchen recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Lebkuchen Cookies

German Lebkuchen Cookies

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen Cookies

Top 4 lebkuchen recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed lebkuchen recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Lebkuchen Cookies

German Lebkuchen Cookies

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen Cookies

The most viewed lebkuchen recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine