Lebkuchen recipe (2024)

Recipe Tips

To make shaped lebkuchen, wait until the dough has cooled but still soft. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 2.5cm/1in thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and bake as above. If your cookies are quite large they may need a few more minutes in the oven.

To make filled lebkuchen, wait until the dough has cooled but still soft. Roll out on a dusted work surface to 2.5cm/1in thick. Dot the right-hand half of the dough with teaspoons of apricot jam, cherry jam or chocolate spread, ensuring there is space in between. Fold over the remaining dough and flatten with your hands around the dots of jam. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes, ensuring the jam is in the centre of each cookie. Bake as above. If your cookies are quite large they may need a few more minutes in the oven.

If you want to add decorations to your cookies, drizzle melted white chocolate or a thick sugar icing over the lebkuchen and top with sugar snowflakes for a fun finish.

Lebkuchen recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between lebkuchen and gingerbread? ›

Lebküchen, on the other hand, is darker, denser, and richer than gingerbread with its focus on honey, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and ginger all amplified with a pinch of mace. If you like gingerbread but want to step up the flavor game, then Lebküchen is the way to go.

What is lebkuchen made of? ›

The main ingredients for baking Lebkuchen are: Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Almonds, Candied Orange and Lemon Peel, Honey, Flour, Sugar, Eggs and Marzipan.

What is the white stuff on the bottom of lebkuchen? ›

WHAT IS ON THE BOTTOM OF LEBKUCHEN? Oblaten Lebkuchen are distinguished by a signature edible wafer (collectively called Oblaten in German) on the bottom. The wafers are made from wheat flour, starch, and water.

What is the difference between lebkuchen and pfeffernusse? ›

Pfeffernusse and lebkuchen are both similarly flavored with honey and lots of warm baking spices but pfeffernusse are almost always small, rounded cookies coated with a powdered sugar glaze, while lebkuchen may be shaped like regular cookies or cut in bars and are generally glazed with chocolate.

Does Trader Joe's sell lebkuchen? ›

Our Chocolate Covered Lebkuchen are popular with a certain crowd, but some folks don't like the nuts and spices in these traditional German gingerbread cookies.

What is the wafer on the bottom of lebkuchen? ›

Back-oblaten, or baking wafers, are round wafers often used as the base of each lebkuchen. They're traditional, but not necessary. It is critical that the nuts be ground into a flour, as that is their function in this recipe.

What city is famous for lebkuchen? ›

In Germany, when you think of Christmas, you think of Nuremberg Lebkuchen, the city's famous gingerbread. These sweet and spicy treats have been baked for more than 600 years and are loved by young and old alike.

What is a fun fact about Lebkuchen? ›

The dessert's roots can be traced to the 13th century when spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg were introduced to Europe. Franconian Monks are believed to have been the first to combine honey, spices, and breadcrumbs to create a sweet, flavorful dough. Lebkuchen has become associated with the holidays since then.

What is the best lebkuchen? ›

We believe Leckerlee lebkuchen is hands-down the highest-quality lebkuchen you can buy in the States, and we stand by our product with a 100% money-back guarantee.

What does Pfeffernüsse mean in English? ›

The name literally means 'peppernuts', and does not mean it contains nuts. The cookies are roughly the size of nuts and can be eaten by the handful, which may account for the name. They are named for the pinch of pepper added to the dough before baking.

How do you eat lebkuchen? ›

These cookies are either rectangular or round, they have a sweet, lightly nutty taste, and their aroma is spicy, a bit like nutmeg and allspice. They are usually soft with a slight crunch from chopped nuts. The Lebkuchen is a traditional Christmas cookie, which is often enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.

What is gingerbread called in England? ›

In Medieval England gingerbread meant preserved ginger. The hard cookies were a staple at Medieval fairs in England and on the continent. These became known as “gingerbread fairs” and the cookies called “fairings”.

What is Lebkuchen similar to? ›

Lebkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈleːpˌkuːxn]), Honigkuchen or Pfefferkuchen ( pronounced [ˈp͡fɛfɐˌkuːxn̩]) are honey-sweetened German cakes, moulded cookies or bar cookies that have become part of Germany's Christmas traditions. They are similar to gingerbread.

What is gingerbread in Germany? ›

"Lebkuchen" (gingerbread) is also known as "Honigkuchen" (honeycake) in some parts of Germany.

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