Lebkuchen (German Spice Cookies) Recipe
Traditional German Lebkuchen are soft, spiced honey cookies bursting with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. This recipe yields tender, slightly sticky dough enriched with ground almonds and citrus notes, baked to perfection and finished with a light lemon glaze. Ideal for festive occasions or cozy winter treats, these cookies combine rich flavors with a delicate sweetness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes per batch
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes (including resting time, excluding overnight rest)
- Yield: Approximately 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum (optional)
Instructions
- Heat Honey and Sugar: In a microwave-safe glass bowl, combine the honey and dark brown sugar. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, and continue heating in 15-30 second increments until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add Butter and Lemon Zest: Immediately stir in the unsalted butter and lemon zest until the butter melts into the mixture.
- Incorporate Leavening, Spices, and Egg: Stir in baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and the beaten egg until well combined.
- Add Flour, Almonds, and Lemon Juice: Gradually add all-purpose flour and ground almonds. Mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Add lemon juice sparingly to achieve the right consistency without making the dough too wet.
- Form Dough Ball: Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray and gather the dough into a smooth ball.
- Rest the Dough: Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least one hour or ideally overnight to develop flavors and texture.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Prepare Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and optional rum until you achieve a thin glaze consistency.
- Roll Out Dough: Divide the dough into thirds. On a silicone baking mat, roll each portion to about ¾ inch thick, slightly under 1 inch thickness.
- Cut Cookies: Use a cookie cutter to cut circles from the rolled dough.
- Bake the Cookies: Place cookies spaced apart on the baking mat. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until firm but still soft.
- Roll and Bake Remaining Dough: Repeat rolling and cutting with remaining dough, consolidating scraps and re-rolling as needed.
- Glaze While Warm: Transfer warm cookies to a wire rack. Using a pastry brush, apply the lemon glaze evenly to the cookies while they are still slightly warm.
- Dry and Optionally Layer Glaze: Let the glaze dry completely, then apply a second glaze layer if desired. For a chocolate variation, you can dip or cover the Lebkuchen in melted chocolate as noted.
Notes
- Resting the dough overnight enhances the flavor and improves the texture of the Lebkuchen.
- Use a silicone baking mat for easier rolling and baking, but parchment paper works as an alternative.
- Be careful adding lemon juice, as too much can make the dough too sticky to roll.
- For a festive touch, consider dipping the cooled cookies in melted dark chocolate.
- Store glazed cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and moist.
Keywords: Lebkuchen, German spice cookies, Christmas cookies, honey cookies, holiday baking, spiced cookies, almond cookies, lemon glaze
