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chocolate glazed german lebkuchen cookies.
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5 from 1 vote

German Gingerbread Cookies (Lebkuchen Recipe)

Soft german gingerbread cookies made with hazelnuts, almonds, citrus peel, and lots of spices. This traditional lebkuchen recipe is perfect for the holiday season.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: German
Servings: 20
Calories: 198kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with a paddle attachment or electric mixer.

Ingredients

Spice mixture (Note 2):

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon all-spice
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • teaspoon nutmeg
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Gingerbread dough:

  • 100 g candied lemon peel 3 ½ oz
  • 100 g candied orange peel 3 ½ oz
  • 3 eggs large
  • 90 g light brown sugar ½ cup
  • 1 tablespoon clear honey
  • 125 g ground hazelnuts 1 ⅓ cup
  • 125 g ground almonds 1 ¼ cup
  • 20 Oblaten 70 mm diameter, Note 3

Chocolate glaze:

  • 100 g semisweet chocolate 3 ½ oz, Note 4
  • 100 g white chocolate 3 ½ oz
  • 2 teaspoon coconut oil divided, 1 teaspoon for each chocolate sort

Instructions

Gingerbread cookies:

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Spice mixture: Mix all the ground spices in a small bowl. Set it aside.
  • Candied peel: Place the peel in a food processor. Pulse it a few times to make it finer. It should not become a puree. Alternatively, chop it by hand using a large chef’s knife.
  • Dough: Beat the eggs, brown sugar, and honey in a large bowl until light, fluffy, and creamy. Add all the ground nuts, spices, and chopped peel. Mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Scoop the mixture evenly onto the Oblaten and smooth it with a spoon. Ensure that the nut mixture is spread evenly on the wafers; it should not be thicker in the middle and thinner around the edges.
  • Bake the gingerbread for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool before glazing.

Glaze:

  • Chop the chocolate finely. If using two sorts of chocolate, place them in two heatproof bowls, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to each bowl and melt them separately.
  • Melt chocolate: Find a pot large enough to allow the bowl to sit on top of it. Fill it about halfway with water. Place the bowl with the chocolate on top and ensure the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Place it on the stovetop on medium heat and melt the chocolate at bain-marie, often stirring. Don’t let the water get too hot, or the chocolate will become grainy. Alternatively, use the microwave.
  • Glaze cookies: Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate, let the excess drip off, and place them on a wire rack (Note 5). Once all the Lebkuchen are glazed, use the chocolate rests to decorate them. Use a teaspoon and sprinkle the dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate glaze and the other way around.
  • Optional: As soon as you glaze the cookies, place three blanched whole almonds on top of each one. In this case, don’t sprinkle the Lebkuchen with the extra chocolate glaze.

Notes

  1. Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
  2. Lebkuchengewürz: You can make a double or triple batch and keep it for future use. Store in a jar in the cupboard for up to 6 weeks.
  3. Oblaten: You can also use white communion wafers of a similar size. You can make the cookies without Oblaten; they will keep their shape. However, they will be more delicate and stick slightly to the parchment paper. Once cool, unstick and remove them carefully using a large spatula.
  4. Chocolate: You can use only one kind of chocolate. Dark chocolate is traditional, but if you like white chocolate as much as we do, use it.
  5. Easy clean-up: Place the wire rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; you can use the same baking paper used for baking the cookies. This way, the excess glaze will drip off on the paper, making cleaning easier.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg