Lebkuchen
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Lebkuchen are soft German spice cookies made with honey and flavored with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and orange zest. In this recipe, almond meal gives the cookies a tender, slightly chewy texture, and each one is finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
When you bake Lebkuchen, it fills your whole kitchen with the scent of Christmas even before they even come out of the oven. The honey and spices really set the mood, and these cookies stay soft for days, so they're great to bake ahead and share during the season.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They're full of warm spices. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, cardamom, and ginger all add layers of flavor.
- They're soft and moist. Honey and almond meal help keep the centers tender.
- They're easy to shape. You can roll and cut them, use a stamp, or just make simple flattened balls.
- The glaze is quick and simple. Just powdered sugar and milk.
- They make a big batch. You'll get about 48 cookies, which is plenty for a cookie tray or for giving as gifts.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
For the cookies
- Unsalted butter, softened: The base of the dough.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds a deep molasses flavor and moisture.
- Honey: This is the classic sweetener for lebkuchen. Use regular liquid honey.
- Large eggs: Bind the dough.
- Anise extract: A small amount adds the licorice note that's traditional in Lebkuchen.
- Almond meal (almond flour): Makes the cookies tender and a little chewy.
- Cornstarch: Keeps the cookies soft.
- Orange zest: It brightens up the spices. You'll need about half an orange.
- Cocoa powder: A little goes in the dough, plus extra for buffing the tops of stamped cookies.
- Ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, cardamom, and ginger: This is the spice blend. Cinnamon stands out as the main flavor, with the others adding depth.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness. If you're using table salt, use half as much.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies puff slightly.
- All-purpose flour: The amount can vary, so add it gradually until the dough is just right.
For the glaze
- Powdered sugar and milk: Just mix them together until smooth.
In Photos: How To Make Lebkuchen
Step 1: Make the dough
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each, and mix in the anise extract.
Stir in the almond meal, cornstarch, and orange zest to the dough.
Now add the cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cloves, baking soda, allspice, coriander, cardamom, and ginger until everything is well combined.
Gradually add the flour, about ¼ cup at a time, until the dough becomes stiff and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Keep adding flour until it's no longer sticky.
Step 2: Cut and bake
Take a small amount of dough at a time and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper until it's about ⅜ inch thick.
Cut out shapes with a 2-inch cutter, gently lift them off the parchment, and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 6 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers are still soft and moist.
If you used a cookie stamp, dip your fingertip in cocoa powder and gently rub it over the tops of the cookies to highlight the design.
Step 3: Glaze
Mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
Brush the glaze over the tops of the cooled cookies and place them on a wire rack to dry.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Add the flour slowly. The exact amount can vary depending on your honey and almond meal, so add it bit by bit.
- Stop adding flour when the dough pulls away from the bowl. It's ready when it feels stiff and isn't sticky anymore.
- Roll the dough between sheets of parchment. This keeps it from sticking to the counter, so you won't need extra flour.
- Work with small batches of dough. Keep the rest covered while you roll and cut.
- Roll the dough to about ⅜ inch thick. Thicker cookies will stay soft in the center.
- Take the cookies out while they're still soft. The edges should be set, but the centers should look moist. They'll firm up as they cool.
- Glaze the cookies only after they've cooled. If they're warm, the glaze will melt off.
- If you prefer, you can skip rolling. Just scoop 1-inch balls of dough, roll them smooth, and flatten them a bit on the baking sheet.
How To Store Lebkuchen
Store the glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Place parchment between the layers to keep them from sticking.
Recipe FAQ
Lebkuchen is a traditional German Christmas cookie made with honey and warm spices. It's often soft and sometimes glazed.
No. A 2-inch round cutter works, or you can skip the rolling and shape the dough into flattened balls.
Almond meal is ground almonds, also sold as almond flour. It makes these cookies tender and a little chewy.
It adds a light licorice flavor that's traditional in Lebkuchen.
Keep adding flour about ¼ cup at a time until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky.
The edges should be set and the centers still quite soft and moist, after about 6 to 10 minutes.
No. You can scoop 1-inch balls of dough, roll them smooth between your hands, and flatten them slightly on the baking sheet.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup (254.25 g) honey
- 2 (88 g) eggs, large
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) anise extract
- 3 ½ cups (392 g) almond meal, (aka: almond flour)
- 6 tablespoons (32 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoons (6 g) orange zest, (zest of half an orange)
- 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder, plus extra for decorating
- 2 ½ teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (4.5 g) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground ginger
- 3 ½ cups (437.5 g) all-purpose flour, (approx., you may need slightly more or less)
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey together in a large bowl just until smooth and blended.
- Stir in the eggs (one at a time) and anise extract, allowing each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next.
- Stir in the almond meal, cornstarch, orange zest, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cloves, baking soda, allspice, coriander, cardamom, and ginger until combined.
- Gradually stir in flour (about ¼ cup at a time) until a stiff dough forms and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl (keep adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky).
- Working with a small amount of dough at a time, roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment to a thickness of ⅜-inch.*
- Use a 2-inch diameter cutter to cut shapes (link to the cutter I used: Cookie Stamp), gently peeling them off the parchment and placing them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until set around the edges but still quite soft and moist towards the centers (approx. 6 to 10 minutes).
- Optional: If using a cookie stamp, you can enhance the design by dabbing your fingertip in cocoa powder and rubbing/buffing it into the tops of the cookies.
- Stir the powdered sugar and milk together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Brush the tops of the cooled cookies with the powdered sugar glaze, then place them on a wire rack to set/dry the glaze.
Notes
Author
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