Name: Lebkuchen (German Christmas Spice Cookies)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 40
Ingredients: 300 g of Honey; 100 g of Butter; 50 g of White Sugar; 1 Eggs; 240 g of All Purpose Flour; 240 g of Rye Flour; 1 teaspoon of Cloves; 2 teaspoons of Cinnamon; 1 teaspoon of Nutmeg; 1 teaspoon of Ginger; 2 teaspoons of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 1 Lemon Peel; Mezza of Orange Peel; 50 g of Almonds; 40 ml of Milk; 6 g of Baking Soda; 150 g of Dark Chocolate; 200 g of Powdered Sugar; 1 Egg Whites

Lebkuchen are Christmas Spice Cookies of German origin, but they are also very popular in German-speaking areas such as Alto Adige (South Tyrol) in northern Italy. In Germany they are often also called Pfefferkuchen, Gewürzkuchen and, in older times, Honigkuchen.

Lebkuchen are soft cookies with no single original recipe, since every area where they are made has its own variety. We do know, however, that German Lebkuchen come originally from Nuremberg.

Of all the Spice Cookie recipes, the one for Lebkuchen is certainly one of the most distinctive, but if you like spice cookies you can also try Gingerbread Cookies and Pão de Mel Honey and Chocolate Cookies. Now let’s discover the recipe for Lebkuchen, the Christmas Spice Cookies.

Ingredients for 40 cookies

For the cookies:

300 g of Honey

100 g of Butter

50 g of White Sugar

1 Eggs

240 g of All Purpose Flour

240 g of Rye Flour

1 teaspoon of Cloves ground

2 teaspoons of Cinnamon ground

1 teaspoon of Nutmeg ground

1 teaspoon of Ginger

2 teaspoons of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Lemon Peel

1/2 of Orange Peel

50 g of Almonds blanched

40 ml of Milk

6 g of Baking Soda

For the chocolate glaze:

150 g of Dark Chocolate

For the white royal icing:

200 g of Powdered Sugar

1 Egg Whites

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Method

To make the Lebkuchen Christmas Spice Cookies, heat the butter, cut into small pieces, and the honey in a double boiler, stirring to blend the two ingredients well. When the mixture is smooth, let it cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the egg and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and pale. Then add the cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, the lemon zest and the zest of half an orange and mix well. Add the lukewarm honey as well, stirring all the while.

Lebkuchen, step 2: egg and sugar beaten with the spices and citrus zest

Coarsely grind the almonds in a food processor, then add them to the dough you have just made.
In a large bowl, mix the 00 flour with the rye flour, then sift them directly into the bowl with the dough, making sure each addition of flour is incorporated before adding more. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the milk (it will act as the leavening) and add it all to the dough, then mix to combine well.

Lebkuchen, step 3: the flours and chopped almonds worked into the dough

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the oven, turned off, to rise overnight. The next day, take out the dough, break off a piece and work it into a sheet about 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick, then cut out your cookies with cookie cutters. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, a little apart from one another.

Lebkuchen, step 4: cookies cut out of the dough on a baking sheet

Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 10 to 12 minutes, then take them out and let them cool completely.

Lebkuchen, step 5: the baked cookies cooling

You can finish your cookies however you like: glaze, nuts, sprinkles, the more the merrier. We chose to make two glazes:

To make the chocolate glaze: cut the chocolate into small pieces, melt it in a double boiler and then use it to brush the entire surface of the cookies. Let the Chocolate Glaze harden, then serve the Lebkuchen Christmas Spice Cookies.

Lebkuchen, step 7: brushing the cookies with melted chocolate

To make the white royal icing: in a bowl, vigorously mix the powdered sugar and egg white to get a smooth icing with no lumps, which you will use to cover your cookies. Let the icing set, then serve the Lebkuchen Christmas Spice Cookies. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

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Lebkuchen (German Christmas Spice Cookies)

Ingredients for 40 cookies

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