Lebkuchen Cookies
Lebkuchen Cookies – traditional glazed German Christmas cookies made with warming spices, for a festive treat to enjoy around the holiday season!
I love to have holiday-inspired baked goods around the house this time of year.
While I tend to crave the sweets of my childhood, like almond sugar cookies or my mom’s best fruit cake recipe, I’ve also come to appreciate new traditions.
This year, it’s all about lebkuchen cookies: a traditional German Christmas treat. These spiced cut out cookies are lightly glazed, soft and chewy, and a perfect treat for the winter holidays.
Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland
This Lebkuchen recipe comes from Shauna Sever’s new cookbook Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland. Her collection of over 125 recipes has both classic and comforting favorites.
I love this peek into Shauna’s Midwest kitchen, as her recipes tell the rich history of how European immigrants influenced American baking.
Shauna’s book is filled with old family baking secrets, but it’s her recipe for iced lebkuchen that I knew I had to try.
Holiday markets start to pop up all over the Midwest this time of year. Here in Chicago, one of my favorite activities is exploring the German inspired Christkindlmarket.
Lebkuchen cookies can be found at these traditional holiday markets as both edible treats and decorations.
What are Lebkuchen Cookies?
These cookies date back to the German town of Nuremberg from the 14th century. As Shauna explains, to do the cookies justice, they require some planning.
Ideally, you start the baking process for Lebkuchen at least a week (or two) before you plan to share or enjoy them. This might sound fussy, but I can assure you that it makes a big difference and these cookies are worth the effort.
They are gingerbread-like in flavor, but are chewy and soft in texture thanks to a special storage trick. Once baked, they’re brushed with a simple lemon glaze.
Ingredient Notes:
Lebkuchen cookies are simple to prepare and rely heavily on warming spices. Shauna recommends using dark muscovado sugar, which can be found in natural food stores.
Muscovado is unrefined cane sugar that contains natural molasses. It has a richer flavor than regular dark brown sugar. If do not wish to purchase it, substitute it with dark brown sugar.
How to Make Lebkuchen:
Lebkuchen cookie batter comes together in one bowl. The secret is to let the batter “ripen” and sit for a day or two at room temperature.
- Prepare the Dough in Advance: In a saucepan over a medium-high heat, heat until the sugar just dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Cool until warm to touch, then whisk in the egg, lemon zest, and juice.
2. In a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients. On a low speed, stir in the wet ingredients until the mixture forms a very sticky, slack dough. It might appear too thin, but it will thicken and come together as the batter sits.
3. Rest the Dough: Transfer the dough to a bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature, covered with a plate, for 1 to 2 days. It will thicken and deepen in flavor as it sits. Don’t be alarmed, Shauna explains that the honey and sugar keep bacteria from growing.
4. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough, and cut into your favorite holiday shape. The dough will be soft. Laura’s Baking Note: Use simple cookie cutters for these cookies, as intricate details will be lost in the baking process.
5. Bake the cookies until lightly brown, for about 12 minutes, rotating and flipping the pans halfway. Watch carefully as the honey in the batter can causes the edges to brown quickly.
6. Glaze: Prepare the simple lemon glaze, and brush on the cookies when they’re still warm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and set completely before storing.
7. The next step is key! Position the cookies in an airtight container, separated by parchment paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container, and store in a cool place for at least 3 days or up to two weeks, to allow the cookies to soften.
Lebkuchen: Tips for Success
There are two secrets to traditional lebkuchen, and they both involve a resting phase.
Once the cookies are baked, storing them with an apple wedge helps the cookies reach a perfectly soft texture.
The moisture in the apple provides humidity as well as some additional flavor. If the cookies become too hard or stale, replace with new apple pieces.
Perhaps what I love most about these cookies is how well they keep. Make them ahead of time, and enjoy them all season, should they last that long!
My favorite way to enjoy these cookies is with a cup of tea or coffee in hand. They’re so easy to snack on!
Lebkuchen Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ¾ cup (250 g) clover honey
- ¾ cup (170 g) dark muscovado (or organic dark brown sugar)
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cups (384 g) unbleached all-purpose flour fluffed, spooned, and leveled, plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- oil for the bowl
Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioner's sugar sifted
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Cookies: In a 1½ quart saucepan, combine the honey and muscovado sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir gently until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture just begins to come to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool until warm to touch. Whisk in the egg and lemon zest and juice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- On low speed, stir in the wet ingredients until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Laura's Note: This will be slack and loose, don't worry! Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled ceramic bowl and cover with a plate - you want the dough to be able to breathe.
- Allow the dough to "ripen" at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days - do not refrigerate. (The large amount of honey and sugar will keep bacteria at bay.)
- Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn out the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to a ¼-inch/6 mm thickness. Use a bench scraper or thin spatula to get under the dough and scoot it around in the flour occasionaly to prevent sticking. Cut shapes with 2-inch/5 cm cutters and place 1 inch/2½ cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sweep away any excess flour with a pastry brush.
- Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. (Watch closely, as honey in the dough can make the edges catch and burn quickly.)
- Prepare the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, egg white, lemon juice, and salt for a smooth, thin, runny glaze. (Add a few drops of lemon juice, as needed, to achieve this consistency).
- Let the cookies firm up and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Run an offset spatula under the cookies to gently looesn them from the parchment paper, leaving them on the sheets.
- While still warm, brush the cookies with glaze and transfer to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool and the glaze to dry completely.
- The secret to a perfect lebkuchen texture is in the resting phase: place the cookies into airtight containers in layers, seperated by parchment or wax paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container before sealing. Store in a cool place for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the cookies to ripen once more before serving.
Tips for Success:
- The secret to a perfect lebkuchen texture is in the resting phase: place the cookies into airtight containers in layers, seperated by parchment or wax paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container before sealing. Store in a cool place for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the cookies to ripen once more before serving.
62 Comments on “Lebkuchen Cookies”
Made this cookie and did the resting stage, baking, and resting stage with the apple.
My husband decided to try them, LOVED THEM! These will not last until Christmas.
I think this will be a new tradition in our house.
Thank you.
Please help! I made the recipe and its currently ripening in a ceramic bowl, but I messed up during the mixing process. I had mixed the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and had forgotten to whisk in the egg, lemon juice and zest. I quickly added it to the already mixed dough and mixed it together, but will this have a negative impact? Should I just start over?
You should be fine if you did it soon after – if that what you mean? Definitely not ideal but I think it will turn out still!
My family’s new favorite Christmas cookie! We absolutely love these and the resting phase with the apple is crucial.
Glaze did not dry completely overnight but I stored with apple and between parchment paper anyway. Any ideas why the glaze might not have dried?
Hi Jane – sounds like maybe it was too thick (or brushed on too thick) or you just didn’t give it enough time? It should happen fairly quickly, and the coating should be very thin. Unfortunately, it will not dry if you’re storing it with the apple. I would allow them to sit out for a bit before proceeding to store, otherwise they may stick and you might encounter some issues.
After ripening one day with towel and plate to cover the dough is dry and crumbly. Hard to roll. What should I do?
I’ve never heard of this issue – did you use metric weights for the recipe? My only thought is that somehow the flour was vastly over measured in volume or you live somewhere exceptionally dry.
Great recipe. Just wondering, I placed my dough at room termperature on my counter for 2 days. I guess I missed the “cool” place in the recipe. Is this an issue? I don’t want anyone to get sick. Thanks!
Hi Jo! You should be fine. Plus, they are cooked after this stage. Hope this helps!
I can’t wait to make these with my grandkids on New Year’s Eve! I have some turbinado sugar and looked up the comparison to muscovado sugar, but didn’t get a good sense if it would be okay to use the turbinado or if I should stick to the dark brown sugar substitute you mentioned. What are your thoughts on using the turbinado?
Do not substitute turbinado – texturely they are polar opposite. The best substitute, as described, is dark brown sugar. Enjoy!
Extremely good and authentic. Improved by the addition of 3/4 cup minced, candied fruit.
My mother often made Lebkuchen at Christmas, and they became very hard. I’m so happy to learn why and how to fix it! (And it’s not something we did wrong!) Love these cookies.
First time Ive tried these.I’ve just made up the batter for these and will leave it for a couple of days before rolling and baking. I substituted 3 tbsp. of the german spice lebkuchengewürz that my son sent me from Munich for your mix of spices. Dough tastes yummy! Question: should batter left uncovered or covered while resting at room temp.for few days?
Thanks
Hi! Cover the mixing bowl with a plate – it shouldn’t be completely airtight but definitely covered. This instruction is included in the recipe instructions at the bottom of the post! Happy holidays!
These cookies are fabulous! I made them for the first time last Christmas and they turned out amazing. My husband and his family lived in Germany for many years and said that these cookies were just as good as the ones they used to get in Berlin. Question, does storing them with a pear work just as well as apples? I only have pears on hand currently and was wondering if this would work to keep them just moist as the apples would.
I totally think so, just make sure it’s a firm (not very ripe) pear. Basically the cookies absorb moisture from the fruit and it helps them stay moist. Even a slice of soft sandwich bread could probably work! So glad you enjoyed them!
The cookies are fabulous! Thank you for the recipe. I didn’t get around to adding the glaze while they were still warm. Is it okay to add later?
Sure! Ideally they are glazed when warm – but in a pinch you could do this.
these cookies were absolutely gorgeous! My family were so impressed with my baking skills they told me to become a baker LOL !! 10/10!!!
Yay! That makes me so happy!
Love these. The instructions are easy and informative. I rested the dough 2 days and was absolutely the best textured dough I ever worked with. Baked beautifully.
OMG, so delicious. Taste just like the ones my Taunta Berda (who looked like Mrs. Clause with her white hair and round face, had the Mrs. Clause German accent too) used to make. She also added a slice of bread along with the apple slice. So that’s what I did. 1 day of resting after making the dough worked for me.
I’m about to make these bkkies again this will be my 3rd year. They are delicious, last time I let them sit in my pa.try for about 3 weeks befpre Christmas. Because it’s always Summer here, I’ve learnt that I am better off not to use the apple, they soften over time without it. All the flavours from the spices mellow and come together and the day before we eat them I dip some in chocolate. So yummy!
How often do you change the apple if you let them rest for 2 weeks?
I would change it every 3-4 days personally – it might vary depending on your climate.
I have a question that is a follow up question to a previous one. A gentleman before asked about the apple making the cookies too soft and you mentioned that it might be that he is in a humid environment. I live in Florida. I was planning on making these for a cookie exchange and making them a couple of weeks ahead would be ideal! However now I am concerned that they may be stale if I omit the apple, it too soft if I don’t. How long do you suggest they will stay good if I omit the apple?
Looking forward to your answer, making these and enjoying them!!
Hi MichaelI would personally try storing them without the apple based on your climate – you can always add an apple half later and the cookies should gain that moisture and soften? Or you could set aside a few cookies and experiment. It is hard to say or be very specific as humidity is so complicated and varied (and I personally live in a very dry climate, so I can’t test for you).
Can you do a double batch at one’s?
Yes! That would definitely work – just double the gram measurements. I would recommend rotating the sheet pans (top third and bottom rack) halfway through baking if you are doing multiple sheet pans
I have made these several times following the recipe exactly and they turn out perfectly. So many people comment on how good these are! They also get better with time so a great treat to make ahead.
I love these cookies and have made them once! However, when I tried to do the resting period with apple, it didn’t work. Within an hour, and peices of cookie near the apple were squishy (to the point of falling off when picked up). Any advice for next time?
Hi Mack! Sorry to hear that. My only thought is that you stored them too soon after baking or you live in an already humid climate and don’t need to do this – it really is to keep the cookies softer (though they should not be so soft they fall apart!), and if that isn’t necessary, you can skip it entirely.
I made these cookies last year and I loved them! My father and grandmother are diabetic and I would like to see about making these sugar free. Have you tried making them with sugar substitutes like baking splenda?
I’m sorry, I don’t test any of my recipes with sugar substitutes because I don’t personally use them, so I can’t say for sure! I would use a reputable 1:1 substitute – like Swerve – but I can’t give any specifics or advice about how they will come out. They’ll definitely have a different taste for sure either way.
Just made the dough but it’s not slack and or sticky. Actually it is very stiff.
It is resting now in a ceramic bowl.
Followed the recipe as written.
Hi! Did you use metric weights or make any changes? I wouldn’t fret too much about specific texture and let me know how they come out once baked.
I halved the recipe as I was making quite a lot of other biscuits. Great flavour but they spread a lot and lost their shape. Perhaps I should have stuck to the full recipe.
Hmm, did you use metric weights? I definitely don’t recommend halving most recipes unless you’re using a scale, it can definitely lead to some issues
Hello! I made this recipe last year and loved it! I want to make it again this year but I have a friend who can’t eat gluten. Has anyone had luck subbing in gluten-free flour in this recipe? I know they are very chewy, so I wasn’t sure if gluten free was really an option.
Unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe GF and haven’t heard from anyone that has tried – I worry a bit about the texture and texture during the sitting period. My best advice would be a 1:1 substitute, but I can’t say how I will turn out! Wish I could be more helpful!
Hi Olivia! I’ve experimented with oat flour in other recipes (not this one) and they’ve turned out really well.. Maybe try subbing that in instead for GF. Oat flour is lighter so use the same amount of oat flour using weight not cup measurements (384g oat flour, not 3cups). If you can’t get oat flour, use a food processer or blender to blitz up rolled/traditional oats until a fine flour is formed (doesn’t take long at all). Hope this helps 🙂
the glaze is not drying…it is still sticky to the touch, 12 hours after applying–HELP!
That is very odd. Was anything changed in the original recipe?
How safe is it brushing raw egg white on the cookies. Don’t want to be a Debbie downer but I’m paranoid about things like that.
Hi Cindy! Good question. There is of course some risk – I personally try to seek out incredibly high quality eggs and am not squeamish on using raw eggs on occasion (Caesar salad dressing, egg white cocktails, etc.) but it is something that everyone needs to evaluate in terms of what they’re comfortable with. From a strict food safety perspective, there is some risk.
If you’re nervous about it, you could try using some meringue powder or egg white powder as an alternative, but I haven’t personally tested that version! Alternatively, on occasion, I’ve found pasteurized eggs at the grocery store (Davidson’s is the brand) too before. Hope this helps!
Actually, if you cut the dough into walls and a roof immediately, and let it harden, it makes perfect gingerbread house material. I grew up with Lebkuchen, and used mom’s recipe in culinary school. My gingerbread house was one of the only ones that didn’t collapse in Florida humidity ?
Oh! Awesome, good to know. I wonder if different recipes might be more or less inclined for houses, but thanks for your comment!
Beyond amazing! I typically make Pfeffernusse for the holidays and I was excited to add these! The dough came together beautifully and smelled like heaven while baking. Thank you!
So happy to hear this! Thank you for the feedback!
Wanting to go back to my German roots and memories for Weihnachten this year, and decided to bake lebkuchen. It’s not something I remember my mother baking (although she baked a LOT during the holidays…stollen, butter horns, apfel kuchen) I thought it would be fun to try. This recipe was AMAZING. I didn’t expect my family to like it but the cookies were gone in a flash and my son asked me to make more. This is going to be a tradition from now on for the holidays and probably in between as well.
Hi, my grandson loves Lebkuchen that are filled with jam in the centre, could I use your dough recipe to achieve this, it sounds so delicious?
My German mom made these every year. I remember her putting them into big Tupperware bowls that had lids and changing the apples every few days. She did the traditional circle shape with a half candied cherry in the middle and 4 almond slices around the sides to make it look like a flower. Great memories. These cookies are so
.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hello! What is the shape of the cookie cutter you used or where can I find it?
Hi! I used a snowflake cookie cutter from Sur La Table – not sure if they sell that exact one anymore. However, you can use whatever cookie cutter you want for this recipe! Hope this helps.
I am from Illinois & as a small child our German farm neighbor made these cookies & gave my mother the recipe which I have & cherish as this was in the 1940’s. My recipe uses molasses, honey & is “to let stand for several weeks to ripen.” Which I find interesting! These are very delicious!
Yes! You can absolutely rest the batter longer, but I don’t think much longer than a couple days makes a massive difference. Glad you enjoyed these!
Your recipe looks AWESOME
I do not use butter could I substitute applesauce?
Thank You
I’ve never made these cookies with that substitute, so I can’t say for sure. You can certainly try, but I can’t guarantee the same results unfortunately! Applesauce and butter don’t really behave the same way in baked goods, but I know that it can work well in certain recipes.
Ah yum, mouth watering dish