Masala Herb

Flavorful Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • TRAVEL
  • Contact
  • New? Start HERE!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • RECIPES
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are Here: Masala Herb » Recipes » Cookies

    Classic Lebkuchen Cookies Recipe

    December 6, 2017 by Helene Dsouza 21 Comments

    115 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky
    Helene Dsouza
    Get creative with the decoration of your Lebkuchen cookies, Use icing sugar and little colorful sugar decorations to get into Christmas mood.
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    40 cookies
    RECIPE
    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe - German Christmas Cookies easy to make from scratch and perfect to bake with your kids for christmas. www.Masalaherb.com #cookies #christmas #german #masalaherb

    Classic Lebkuchen cookies can't be missed in a German and Austrian household for Christmas.

    Learn everything about Lebkuchen and how you can make them from scratch at home.

    lebkuchen gingerbread cookies
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Global Food Recipes

    with Spices and Herbs

    Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

    00
    Days
    :
     
    00
    Hours
    :
     
    19
    Minutes
    :
     
    59
    Seconds

    You missed out!

    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Your Free E-Book 

    was sent to your

    E-Mail Address!

    Please check your Spam folder

    Jump to:
    • 📕 What is Lebkuchen?
    • 🆚 Lebkuchen VS Gingerbread
    • 🎉 Decoration
    • 🍱 Storing
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    📕 What is Lebkuchen?

    Lebkuchen is a German honey cake. 

    Lebkuchen have a firm and dense, yet soft texture, a distinct honey taste, and a wonderful aroma created by a generous blend of spices, such as ginger, cardamom, aniseed, coriander, cloves, and allspice.

    It can also have almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts.

    Candied lemon and orange peels are also used by some Lebkuchen bakers to refine their confection.

    There are Oblaten Lebkuchen, which are placed on a communion wafer, a legacy from when nuns and monks were the Lebkuchen bakers.

    There are some variations on the basic Lebkuchen, such as the Elisenlebkuchen, which is made with less flour than the regular Lebkuchen.

    In fact, the Elisenlebkuchen must contain no less than 25 percent nuts and less than 10 percent wheat flour.

    History

    Cakes made with honey have been baked since antiquity before the industrial production of sugar made it an available and affordable ingredient.

    Honey cakes have been found in Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations and were often believed to have magical protection powers as sweet honey was regarded as a blessing from the gods.

    The honey acts not only as a sweetener but also as a leavening and preservative.

    The German Lebkuchen was invented by nuns and monks in the 13th century.

    The city of Nuremberg was at the forefront of Lebkuchen manufacturing and has produced the famous Nürnberger Lebkuchen that is still made today. 

    lebkuchen cookies with sugar deco

    🆚 Lebkuchen VS Gingerbread

    Gingerbread is similar to Lebkuchen as it is also made with spices, but gingerbread does not usually contain nuts.

    Gingerbread cookies are also made with molasses, comapred to Lebkuchen cookies which contain honey.

    Gingerbread houses originated in Germany in the 16th century and their popularity increased when the Brothers Grimm wrote Hansel and Gretel, where the witch lived in a house made of cookies and candy.

    You can make a gingerbread house from Lebkuchen dough, just make sure to keep it a bit longer in the oven so that it becomes firmer and is able to hold the shape better. 

    german lebkuchen cookies with candied cherries

    🎉 Decoration

    Because of the firmness of the dough, Lebkuchen cookies lend themselves well to being decorated with different patterns.

    Modern

    People usually decorate their Lebkuchen cookies with candied cherry halves and almond halves.

    Icing sugar is also commonly used in combination with small sugar decorations.

    Lebkuchen are also often glazed or covered in dark chocolate.

    Tradition

    Special delicately carved wooden Lebkuchen molds that depict flowers, geometric patterns and Christmas motives are used.

    The earliest molds had Biblical themes and were used to educate the public about the Gospel at a time when most people were illiterate and books were written by hand and expensive.

    Different rulers also used to emboss their portraits on Lebkuchen and distribute them among people to increase their popularity.

    Lebkuchen are still popular today and Lebkuchen hearts that have declarations of love inscribed with icing are a popular item at fairs and Christmas markets. 

    classic lebkuchen with almond deco

    🍱 Storing

    Traditionally, in Germany, Lebkuchen are stored in a tin box between layers of parchment paper.

    If you live in a cool and dry climate, you can place apple peels in the tin box for a nice aroma and to retain cookie moisture.

    Keep in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight for up to 1 month.

    But in hot and tropical countries, it would be best to consume the Lebkuchen soon after baking to prevent them from going bad.

    They can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.

    Can you hang a lebkuchen on the Christmas tree as a deco?

    Yes, can you make beautiful Christmas tree decorations made of Lebkuchen if you live in a cold climate. In tropical countries, it would be best to consume the Lebkuchen soon after baking to prevent it from going bad. They can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.

    lebkuchen cookies

    Dear Reader, how are you planning to decorate your Lebkuchen cookies?

    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe was first published on the 23rd of December 2012 at masalaherb.com!

    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe - German Christmas Cookies easy to make from scratch and perfect to bake with your kids for christmas. www.Masalaherb.com #cookies #christmas #german #masalaherb

    📖 Recipe

    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe - German Christmas Cookies easy to make from scratch and perfect to bake with your kids for christmas. www.Masalaherb.com #cookies #christmas #german #masalaherb

    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe

    Get creative with the decoration of your Lebkuchen cookies, Use icing sugar and little colorful sugar decorations to get into Christmas mood.
    4.88 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: German
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 40 cookies
    Calories: 114kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    For the dough:

    • 7 Tablespoons Honey
    • ¾ cup Brown Sugar
    • ½ stick Butter
    • 2 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour
    • 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking powder
    • 1 Egg Yolk
    • dash Lemon Peel freshly grated or dried
    • 1 cup Walnuts ground
    • 5 Teaspoons Lebkuchen spice blend or homemade Lebkuchen spice mixture
    • 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon Ground

    For the Icing:

    • 1 Egg White
    • 2 cups Powdered Sugar

    to decorate...

    • Colorful Sugar Decoration as shown
    • Candied fruits
    • Nuts
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • Place the Honey, brown sugar and butter together into a bowl and melt and mix the ingredients to a smooth sticky paste.
    • Once the sticky mixture has cooled a bit add the white flour and baking powder and make a mold to add in your egg yolk. Keep on adding the Lemon zest, the ground walnuts, the Lebkuchen spice mix and the cinnamon powder.
      Lebkuchen Recipe - Gingerbread Cookies from Austria & Germany www.MasalaHerb.com #Recipe #stepbystep #cookies
    • Mix it all first with a spoon or something and then work it out for 10 minutes into a smooth dough.
      Lebkuchen Recipe - Gingerbread Cookies from Austria & Germany www.MasalaHerb.com #Recipe #stepbystep #cookies
    • Preheat your oven to a 180 Celsius!
    • Flour your working space and roll your dough to a 0.5 millimeter thickness out (don't roll out too thin!) and cut out your shapes with your cookie cutters. Make sure the dough is covered with flour, it's easier that way to cut out the shapes. Once done, dust the shapes a bit so that the extra flour falls off.
      Lebkuchen Recipe - Gingerbread Cookies from Austria & Germany www.MasalaHerb.com #Recipe #stepbystep #cookies
    • Place the lebkuchen on a baking tray. At this point you can decorate them with nuts and candied fruits by pressing the sweets lightly into the dough.
    • Bake smaller sized Lebkuchen cookies for about 15 minutes at 180 Celsius and then let them cool and bigger ones for 20 minutes at 180 Celsius..
    • In the mean while, beat your egg white to a stiff snow. Once stiff continue to mix in the powdered sugar into the egg whites, batch by batch. The Icing should be very tough and shiny sticky. (For colored batches just add 2-3 drops of food coloring drops)
      Lebkuchen Recipe - Gingerbread Cookies from Austria & Germany www.MasalaHerb.com #Recipe #stepbystep #cookies
    • Once the cookies have cooled, you can decorate them with the icing and top them with colorful and pretty looking sugar decorations. Either you pipe a thin line with the icing onto the cookies or you add a thin layer of icing onto the whole cookies surface. Just be creative and have fun!

    Notes

    1. Store the lebkuchen cookies in a tin box in a dry climate with butter paper and some apple peels to keep the moisture in the cookies. In a humid environment store the cookies in an airtight container and keep away from heat and more humidity.
    2. Use your favorite sugar decoration
    3. Use Candied fruits such as cherries, ginger candy, orange candy or lemon candy.
    4. Choose between walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans etc.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Classic Lebkuchen Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (24 g)
    Calories 114 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Cholesterol 7mg2%
    Sodium 13mg1%
    Potassium 53mg2%
    Carbohydrates 20g7%
    Sugar 13g14%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 50IU1%
    Calcium 26mg3%
    Iron 0.8mg4%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    115 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    I am Helene, and I created Masala Herb in 2011. Here you will learn to cook with spices and herbs. I share from scratch, international food recipes and my mission is to teach you to cook flavorful food at home. Read More…

    MasalaHerb.com as seen on

    Comments

      4.88 from 8 votes (2 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Amy Dong says

      December 11, 2017 at 8:27 am

      Since my boys love pretty much everything with sugar, they'll adore these!! Thanks for such step by step photos to illustrate...they can probably even make these for me!

      Reply
    2. Soniya says

      December 08, 2017 at 10:46 pm

      This cookies looks so yummilicious 👌.. lived reading about the history mofnthis cookies!

      Reply
    3. Tracy | Baking Mischief says

      December 08, 2017 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      I've never made lebkuchen before, but it looks delicious. I can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    4. kathryn clayton says

      December 08, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      5 stars
      Love the history behind these gorgeous Christmas cookies. Christmas cookie making is great to be passed down through the generations. Love how you've added a link for gluten free version.

      Reply
    5. Leslie says

      December 08, 2017 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      I never knew the tip to keep them moist was to put apple slices in them. Now mine won't get dry!

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        December 09, 2017 at 11:44 am

        Apple skin 🙂

        Reply
    6. lisa says

      December 08, 2017 at 7:35 pm

      5 stars
      I love seeing all the different types of Christmas cookies from around the world! I realize that I've only made a handful of them and I need to step up my cookie game! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    7. Nadene says

      December 08, 2017 at 8:52 am

      These look so authentic. And I bet they taste delicious. thanks for sharing

      Reply
    8. Patricia says

      December 07, 2017 at 11:24 pm

      These sound fantastic! I have been baking up a storm since December started and these have been added to my baking list. Can't wait to try them!.

      Reply
    9. Stacy says

      December 07, 2017 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
    10. Joyce says

      December 06, 2017 at 11:59 pm

      5 stars
      I love spiced cookies! I always hunt them out every year since they are not always available and then I hoard them! haha 🙂 I'm happy to have found this so I can make it at home instead! 🙂

      Reply
    11. Suzy says

      December 06, 2017 at 11:32 pm

      I remember having something similar when I visited my cousins in Germany! Love these cookies!

      Reply
    12. Ben Myhre says

      December 06, 2017 at 11:32 pm

      Today I learned about one of the best well known Christmas cookies in Europe. Never even heard of em. I know I have seen and eaten them, but did not know what they were.

      Reply
    13. Rae says

      December 06, 2017 at 11:31 pm

      4 stars
      Growing up these were the cookies I looked forward to each Christmas. My great-grandmother made them in large batches and sadly didn't write down the recipe... I've been on the search ever since for a similar recipe. Looking forward to trying yours.

      Reply
    14. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

      December 06, 2017 at 10:49 pm

      Mmm. How fun! This reminds me of my grandmother's cookies! So comforting seeing these recipes my nana used to make!!

      Reply
    15. Terra says

      December 28, 2012 at 9:54 am

      Wow, I am so behind on your beautiful blog, I am soooooo sorry! I promise to catch up this weekend! I finally made homemade gingerbread cake this year, now I need to make gingerbread cookies! Your recipe looks wonderful, I am looking forward to your other versions of this lovely recipe:-) Hugs, Terra

      Reply
    16. Lyn @LovelyPantry says

      December 27, 2012 at 11:37 am

      I absolutely liked reading the history behind these cookies. It makes me wonder if I've ever had an authentic Lebkuchen. But you're right, this is very easy to make and look like fun to decorate too 🙂

      Reply
    17. Eha says

      December 24, 2012 at 7:31 am

      Those of us originally from Europe but now long time citizens of Down Under always retain two things for Christmas: black pudding and lebkuchen! Up north we must be very 'dour' and 'boring' people because we don't decorate them, just have lots of shapes! May I add my best wishes for 'Fröhliche Weinachten und alles, alles gute in Neuem Jahr'!

      Reply
    18. kitchenriffs says

      December 24, 2012 at 12:05 am

      Love the flavors. We make gingerbread cookies, but don't use honey - I really like the idea of this. Such good stuff. I hope you have a happy holiday!

      Reply
    19. Ganga Sreekanth says

      December 23, 2012 at 11:27 am

      ookies looks crispy, crunchy, yummy and fabulous. Feel like having it now.

      Reply
    20. Nancy/SpicieFoodie says

      December 23, 2012 at 3:07 am

      Hi Helene,
      I love Lebkuchen. They are sold here for special occasions. I loved the history you gave and didn't know so much of it. Thanks for sharing & Merry Christmas!

      Reply

    Welcome

    Hi there! I'm Helene and here you will learn how to cook with spices and herbs. Discover global food and learn to season your food like a pro. Read more about my work and mission or head over to my food ingredient space, Unknownbite.com, and our travel space, Paulmarina.com!

    More About Me ->








    Home
    About
    As seen in
    Contact
    Terms and Conditions
    Privacy Policy

    By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies.

    Masala Herb is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.