Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are a delicious, honey sweetened, spiced cookie traditional in Germany. They’re easy to make and a perfect Christmas treat.
Lebkuchen (pronounced Leb-Kook-en) are a classic German spiced cookie – a little like gingerbread. They date back as far as the 13th Century and are said to have been invented by monks in Franconia, Germany.
I know them from a family holiday to Nurnberg, where every other shop seemed to sell their own version of the famous honey sweetened cookie (and where we ate our fair share of them!)
What do Lebkuchen taste like?
This recipe uses a mixture of spices – ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and all/mixed spice – to create a delicious fragrent cookie. Honey is used instead of sugar to give them a lovely sweetness too. So they’re like a gingerbread, only so much more!
Lebkuchen are traditionally baked during the festive season. Once decorated with chocolate or an iced glaze they are so pretty and would make excellent Christmas gifts.
How can kids help make Lebkuchen?
This was a great recipe for my kids. They loved weighing everything out and mixing it together. They also loved exploring all the different spices that went into it.
Like lots of cookie recipes, they loved getting to roll and cut out the Lebkuchen. I thought it was a really easy cookie dough for them to do this. The cookies are pretty thick which makes them nice and robust, which is great for little bakers.
Another fun job for kids is decorating the Lebkuchen. The simple glaze is really easy for kids to do. Or if you put a little icing in a piping bag they can practice their piping skills on a few cookies.
How long to Lebkuchen keep?
Lebkuchen are quite a soft cookie so they keep quite well. In an air tight container they’ll keep for a week or two, although the icing will loose its glossy sheen after a day or so.
How do you decorate Lebkuchen?
There are lots of ways of decorating German Lebkuchen. The ones we had in Nuremburg had a mixture of chocolate and an iced glaze so that’s what we decided to try and recreate.
Lots of the cookies are really pretty so we tried our best to pipe a few patterns on some cookies.
I think they all look great when put together – some glazed, some chocolate and some piped.
What spices are in Lebkuchen?
Every recipe will have their own mixture of spices. This recipe uses a blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice. All spices we had a home.
Other recipes might add cloves, mace or star anaise so if you like you could experiment with these flavours as well.
Can you freeze Lebkuchen?
Yes. You can freeze the cookies if you wrap them carefully and pop them in a freezer bag.
Make sure you defrost them slowly at room temperature so they keep their delicious softness.
Are Lebkuchen vegetarian?
Lebkuchen are vegetarian but with the addition of honey and butter aren’t suitable for vegans.
Other easy Christmas bakes for kids
Find all of our easy Christmas baking recipes or check out some of our favourite Christmas bakes for kids below.
Christmas tree brownies
Easy mince pie recipe for kids
Easy gingerbread recipe for kids
Christmas buns
Easy snickerdoodle recipe
Chocolate crinkle cookies
Easy Christmas sugar cookies
Gingerbread house
Ginger biscuits
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these Lebkuchen:
Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Sieve
Wire rack
Rolling pin
Piping bag
Cutters
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Ingredients
200g (2/3 cup) runny honey
85g (1/3 cup or 3/4 stick) butter
200g (1 + 2/3 cup) plain / all-purpose flour
100g (1 cup) ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mixed spice or all-spice
½ tsp nutmeg
½ orange
For the icing glaze
135g (1 cup) icing sugar
1-2 tbsp boiling water
For the chocolate glaze
100g chocolate (milk or dark)
How to make Lebkuchen
Melt the honey and butter
Get your kids to weigh the butter and honey. We found the easiest / least messy way of measuring the honey was to pour it into a bowl set on our digital scales. You can also do it in measuring cups if you don’t have scales.
Put the butter and honey into a small pot and heat it gently over a low heat.
If your child is old enough to be trusted next to a cooker, get them to stir it until it is completely melted.
Transfer the mix into a large mixing bowl and pop it in the fridge for five minutes.
Measure out the dry ingredients
Get your kids to weigh out all the dry ingredients (flour, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarb and spices) into a bowl.
When you’re measuring the baking powder and spices get your kids to level the tea spoon with their finger so you don’t end up with too much spice.
Mix everything together
Remove your honey/butter mixture from the fridge and sieve all the dry ingredients into them.#
Get your kids to squeeze the juice from half an orange and add the juice to your bowl.
Give your kids a wooden spoon and get them to mix it all together.
Keep mixing it until it has all come together. It’ll be quite a soft and sticky dough.
Put your mixture back into the fridge for at least an hour (we left ours overnight). Once it has been chilled it will become much easier to form into cookies.
Make the Lebkuchen
Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C Fan / 390F and line two baking trays with baking /parchment paper.
Remove your dough from the fridge and form the cookies.
To make the round Lebkuchen simply get your kids to roll pieces of dough (about the size of a ping pong ball) into balls.
Put the Lebkuchen on your baking tray, leaving a little room for them to spread.
To make the shaped cookies, give your kids a rolling pin and get them to roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface until it is about 1+ cm (just less than an inch) thick.
Cut the dough out using a star cutter or any other shape you like and put them on your baking tray.
Bake the Lebkuchen
Bake the cookies in the oven for around 12-15 minutes. They’re ready when they have risen and turned a nice golden brown colour. They should also feel a little firm to touch.
Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool on their baking trays for a few minutes before putting them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the Lebkuchen
You can either decorate the cookies with an iced glaze, chocolate or a mixture or both (which is what we did).
To decorate with icing, simply measure out the icing sugar into a small bowl and mix it with enough water to form a runny glaze.
Get your kids to dip the top of the cookies into the glaze, let the excess run off then leave them to set on a wire rack to set (icing side up).
To decorate with the chocolate, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (a double boiler or bain marie). Alternatively, melt it in the microwave in short bursts until it is completely smooth.
Dip one side of the Lebkuchen into the chocolate and leave it to set (chocolate side up) on your wire rack.
You can also decorate the biscuits with piped icing. Make sure the icing isn’t too runny and put it in a piping bag or a small freezer bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner.
Get your kids to pipe tiny dots or lines or any other decoration onto the Lebkuchen.
Serve and enjoy.
Lebkuchen
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Sieve
- Wire rack
- Rolling pin
- Piping bag
- cutters
Ingredients
- 200 g 2/3 cup runny honey
- 85 g 1/3 cup or 3/4 stick butter
- 200 g 1 + 2/3 cup plain / all-purpose flour
- 100 g 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp mixed spice or all-spice
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ orange
For the icing glaze
- 135 g 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp boiling water
For the chocolate glaze
- 100 g chocolate milk or dark
Instructions
Melt the honey and butter
- Weigh the butter and honey. Put the butter and honey into a small pot and heat it gently over a low heat. Stir it until it is completely melted.
- Transfer the mix into a large mixing bowl and pop it in the fridge for five minutes.
Measure out the dry ingredients
- Weigh out all the dry ingredients (flour, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarb and spices) into a bowl.
Mix everything together
- Remove your honey/butter mixture from the fridge and sieve all the dry ingredients into them. Squeeze the juice from half an orange and add the juice to your bowl.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together. Keep mixing it until it has all come together. It'll be quite a soft and sticky dough.
- Put your mixture back into the fridge for at least an hour (we left ours overnight). Once it has been chilled it will become much easier to form into cookies.
Make the Lebkuchen
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C Fan / 390F and line two baking trays with baking /parchment paper.
- Remove your dough from the fridge and form the cookies.
- To make the round Lebkuchen simply roll pieces of dough (about the size of a ping pong ball) into balls. Put the Lebkuchen on your baking tray, leaving a little room for them to spread.
- To make the shaped cookies, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface until it is about 1+ cm (just less than an inch) thick. Cut the dough out using a star cutter or any other shape you like and put them on your baking tray.
Bake the Lebkuchen
- Bake the cookies in the oven for around 12-15 minutes. They're ready when they have risen and turned a nice golden brown colour. They should also feel a little firm to touch.
- Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool on their baking trays for a few minutes before putting them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the Lebkuchen
- You can either decorate the cookies with an iced glaze, chocolate or a mixture or both (which is what we did).
- To decorate with icing, simply measure out the icing sugar into a small bowl and mix it with enough water to form a runny glaze. Dip the top of the cookies into the glaze, let the excess run off then leave them to set on a wire rack to set (icing side up).
- To decorate with the chocolate, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (a double boiler or bain marie). Alternatively, melt it in the microwave in short bursts until it is completely smooth. Dip one side of the Lebkuchen into the chocolate and leave it to set (chocolate side up) on your wire rack.
- You can also decorate the biscuits with piped icing. Make sure the icing isn't too runny and put it in a piping bag or a small freezer bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner. Pipe tiny dots or lines or any other decoration onto the Lebkuchen.
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Similar recipes
If you liked these Lebkuchen, you’ll love our German schnecken as well as our other traditional Christmas bakes.
I’ve linked this up to #CookBlogShare hosted by Peachicks Bakery
Jonny says
I’ve made these a number of times now, and it’s really a great recipe. The only thing I would say is that the addition of orange zest, as well as the juice, makes a huge difference to both fragrance and taste. I’m also generous with the spice measurements, just for a little extra pop.
cookingwithmykids says
I’m so glad you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to let us know! Helen
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Oh I love lebkuchen! I have such fond memories of the first time I tried them – my (usually rather fierce) German teacher brought them into class as an end of term treat and made us all coffee so we could do ‘kaffee und kichen’ like the Germans do. It was so much fun and so was she (for that lesson only – after that she went back to being mostly fierce – haha!) Eb x
cookingwithmykids says
Your German teacher sounds much nicer than my old language teacher (even if it was only for a day!) I think I’d have much fonder memories of high school French if they’d brought in treats!
Choclette says
I adore lebkuchen, but I’ve never managed to make mine look as good as yours. They’d make perfect Christmas gifts too. I bet this is a really fun one to do with the kids – or at least the kids will find it fun.
cookingwithmykids says
Thanks! My kids did enjoy making these (I enjoyed tidying up their mess a little less!)
beth sachs says
Now that we are in lockdown again me and the kids are doing lots more baking! I’m putting these on the ‘to make’ list for next weekend.
cookingwithmykids says
Baking is about the only think lockdown is good for!
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
What a lovely recipe! These look beautiful & great to make with kids. Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare 🙂
cookingwithmykids says
Thanks. The kids enjoyed making these (and eating them!)
Corina Blum says
My kids love making lebkuchen as well and we’ll definitely be making some this year, probably earlier than normal because I’m sure we’ll be doing more lockdown baking this month!
cookingwithmykids says
I’m sure a lot of people will be doing a lot of baking this month.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Your cookies look so pretty! I’ve always wanted to try making lebkuchen, I really must give this a go!
cookingwithmykids says
Thanks. The decoration was really simple, but turned out quite well I thought (they don’t always when the kids are helping!)
Renu says
My kids love the gingerbread cookie, and this is something similar to that. I too involve my kids the same way you are doing here, it is so much fun to do so. I will try this recipe with them. Love the star shape cookies and the way you have decorated them.
cookingwithmykids says
My son who only normally eats bakes that involve chocolate loved these so i’m sure your kids will as well!
Janice says
I love Lebkuchen and can remember the first time I tasted them. My sister invited a German student to share Christmas with our family and she brought so many goodies including Lebkuchen. They are much more easily available now but I’ve never made my own. You have inspired me to try your recipe, thank you.
cookingwithmykids says
They’re such a distinctive (and delicious) treat, I think everyone remembers their first Lebkuchen! I’ve never seen any outside of Germany so it’s nice to know we can make our own.