These German Spice cookies known as Lebkuchen are made from scratch and absolutely delicious! Glazed German gingerbread is a Holiday favorite and always the first thing to go on a Christmas cookie tray.
What is Lebkuchen?
Pronounced leyb-koo-kuh n, this traditional German Christmas treat is a soft, spiced cookie with lemon glaze on top. If you have never tried one, the taste is comparable to gingerbread cookies but with a big distinction, which is that these cookies are chewy, not hard.
German Spice Cookies
The word Lebkuchen translates to English as “Christmas cookie” and for good reason, it’s got all the warm, winter tastes like cinnamon, ginger, honey and nutmeg. This cookie was new to me until recently but once I tried it I was hooked. If traditional gingerbread isn’t your thing, I would still give this a try because they are very different!
Ingredients Needed:
The ingredients list is quite long, as it utilizes a large assortment of spices. The only ingredient you may not usually keep around is ground almonds, which you can find in your local grocery store or Walmart. Other than that, most of these things are probably in the pantry.
- Sweeteners – Honey and Brown Sugar
- Butter – We always use unsalted butter and then add the salt to make sure it’s the right amount. Store brands have different amounts of salt content in salted butter.
- Dry ingredients – All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda
- Egg – You only need 1 large egg.
- Citrus – Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
- Ground Almonds – you can buy this already ground of grind the almonds yourself.
- Spices:
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Allspice
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Nutmeg
- Fine Sea Salt
For The Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Rum – optional
How To Make Lebkuchen
Before you begin, make note that this dough does need some rest time, so it’s not a last-minute recipe. It needs at least an hour to rest.
Step 1: Start by heating the honey and sugar together in the microwave until the sugar melts. When it is melted, quickly add in the butter and lemon zest and stir until the butter melts.
Step 2: Next, stir in the egg, all of the spices, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Step 3: Stir in the flour and ground almonds and stir until you get a sticky dough. Add a bit of lemon juice as needed.
Step 4: When it’s ready. spray your hands with cooking spray and scoop the dough into a ball. Cover it with a towel and leave the dough at room temperature for an hour – overnight.
Step 5: Make the glaze by simply stirring the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Step 6: Divide the dough into thirds and roll out each (one at a time) to about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut out circular cookies.
Step 7: Bake the cookies on 350 degrees for about 12 minutes and let them rest on a wire rack. Add the glaze on top.
If you want to add some chocolate, melt 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips in the microwave and dip the cookies in and transfer them back to the wire rack to cool.
Other Christmas Cookie Recipes:
- Linzer Cookies
- Christmas Spritz Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Gingerbread Man Cookies
Lebkuchen (German Spice Cookies)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 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 Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum optional
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, mix the honey and sugar and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together well until sugar dissolves (heat another 15-30 seconds if needed).
- Immediately add the butter and lemon 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. Be careful not to add too much because you will be rolling the dough, just enough to where it’s not dry.
- Spray your hands with cooking spray 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 degrees. Meanwhile prepare the glaze.
- Mix together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until you have a thin glaze.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to 3/4 of an inch thickness to right under 1 inch.
- Cut out circles using a cookie cutter.
- 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 using a pastry brush.
- Allow the glaze to dry and add a second layer (if desired). Check the recipe notes if you want to cover or dip the Lebkuchen in chocolate.
Last Step:
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Notes
Stir gently until the chocolate chips have melted completely.
Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate and leave to dry on a wire rack before storing.
Nutrition
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136 comments on “Lebkuchen (German Spice Cookies)”
I hand always loved these cookies and a friend of mine would send me a couple boxes each year around Xmas time. It’s not even April and I’ve already ran out till next year, so I just finally had to figure out how to make them myself so I could satisfy my craving and not have to wait 8 months to do it. I have to say that it was so much easier then I had imagined it to be. Now I’m wondering why I never thought to figure this out years ago! I found your recipe, read all your vomments and followed your recipe to the T… and it’s was ABSOLUTE PERFECTION! After reading all the comments I made sure to really grind my almonds and pack them in my measuring cup, and I’m glad that I did that. I actually had to add a tiny extra lemon juice because they were s little too dry and I couldn’t get it to mix all of the way. Then I covered them and let them sit on the counter overnight which i think gave it a little more flavor. Then I rolled them out and baked them and they came out so much better then I had even hoped. They were the perfect consistency, they turned out thick and fluffy. They were so delightful to make and so delicious to eat. My family thought that they were way better then the packaged ones we get so ill definitely be making these again very soon and year round. Only complaint was that they didn’t lady long enough. Between my husband and 2 teenagers all signs that I had ever made them were gone within 24 hours!
So glad everyone enjoyed them! Thanks Robyn!
These cookies had wonderful flavor. My only complaint was my cookies were flatter than pancakes. Did everything the recipe said but they did not look like your cookies.
The flavor was great, easy to make, but the color was incredibly light, even after using dark brown sugar. They also didn’t puff up very much either like the pictures.
Great Lebkuchen recipe! Admittedly I changed some things but that’s what I think makes it great – it’s a template. I swapped the honey for agave, used part orange scented sugar left over from making candied orange peels, added Lebkuchengewürz instead of the spices, and subbed a portion of the nuts for walnuts. And I added candied citron and orange peel. And it’s fantastic! I’ve had multiple frustrating attempts at making Lebkuchen that have failed for various reasons. But this one is a keeper! Thanks Jill
Sounds delicious. Thanks Lisa!
Well, they taste amazing! But, my dough was more like a batter. So, I had to make drop cookies instead of rolling them out. Not sure what I did wrong. Maybe the almonds weren’t ground enough. Super flavorful though!
Thanks Sarah!
While these tasted great !! Mine are very light is it because I only had light brown sugar did that make the difference?
Will definitely make again. Thank you for recipe
Thanks Debbie! The light brown sugar could make a slight difference in the color.
These are amazing! I decided to try lebkuchen instead of my usual ginger molasses cookies this year, and I’m glad I did! I’ll definitely be making them again! Four stars instead of five only because I had to add a little extra flour to make the dough the right consistency. This is something people who have made breads before know you sometimes need to do, but isn’t common with cookies and similar, which is the reason for most of the negative reviews. I think I ended up at just under two cups.
My mother-in-law is german and absolutely loved these cookies.
Thanks Sandi!
The flavor is amazing! My battery was really wet, texture of a thick slime? I was wondering if my almonds weren’t ground enough and that was the issue? I pulsed them in the Cuisinart? Or if the one teaspoon of baking powder is enough? Or should I have beat the butter and sugars together? Thank you
Hi Lorraine. The dough should be more workable than what you describe. The almonds need to be very fine if you are making your own. The consistency of almond meal. Depending on your issue, we have used 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder with these cookies as well.
Hi there – Quick question: when you say ground almonds, do you mean almond flour? Please advise – thanks!
Hi Melissa. There is a difference. You will want to use ground almonds or almond meal.
Love these cookies. Our dough was a little to wet to roll so we dropped and they still came out amazing.
These are now my absolute favorite Christmas cookie!! They are so different than any cookie I’ve had. I’m curious what elevation you are at. I live at 6,500 feet in elevation. My cookies were really flat but still so delicious.
Hello!
Are these cakey or chewy/ moist consistency? They look like they ight be cakey….thanks!
Hi Tamm. I wouldn’t describe these as cakey. They have a soft and chewy texture.
These cookies taste absolutely amazing. Although I’ve made two batches and still to sticky to cut out. Help what can I do?
Thanks Teresa. Without knowing anything more, you may try to add more flour or ground almonds in small amounts to see if that helps firm it up.
Hi there! Thank you for this nice recipe. The cookies turned out beautiful! Just one question: do you know how long I can keep them in a cookie box? Thanks and have a wonderful holiday time!
Thanks Aurore! These will keep for up to a month in an airtight container. These cookies actually taste better a few days after baking in my opinion as the flavors really become more distinct.
Hi, I am looking forward to the result of my (your) Lebkuchen’s 🙂 however my dough looks very very very soft?? Can you please tell me how much your flour and almonds weigh in grams? It would help me resolve this “dough softness” mystery
Hi Vivien. I would say approximately 120 grams for each but I’ve never weighed them. We have found that sometimes it may be necessary to add a little more ground almonds or flour depending on the doughs consistency.
Making these this year but the dough is not firming up it is still sticky. What do I have to do to make it unsticky? It was my mother’s recipe that we had used for years but this year it just doesn’t seem like it’s balling up like it normally does. Would definitely like an answer thank you
Hi Yvonne. Sorry to hear that. Without knowing anything more, you may try to add more flour in small amounts to see if that helps firm it up.
I made these a month ago and they turned out perfect, just like the picture. I want to make them again for Christmas but am wondering if I can freeze the dough, then thaw and bake just before serving?
Thanks Kary! Yes, I think you will be fine freezing the dough after its rested. Just thaw to room temperature and bake.
Also how thick should i roll it because in the video it doesnt look that thick but it says ¾ of an inch, and can I replace butter with margarine?
Hi Greg. It’s always best to use butter. 3/8″-1/2″ works well.
Can I refiridgerate these till the next day then leave them out till they warm up and then cook them?
Hi Greg. Yes, you can refrigerate the dough and then bake with no issues.