Lebkuchen Cookie Recipe

Overhead image of both plain glazed and chocolate coated lebkuchen cookies.

5 from 8 votes

Classic German Lebkuchen are soft and chewy, full of spices, and coated in a plain or chocolate glaze. This lebkuchen cookie recipe is the quintessential holiday cookie and will transport you to the Christmas markets in Germany.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Chilling2

Total Time2 45

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert

Cuisine: German

Keyword: cookies, Lebkuchen

Servings:

Calories: 394kcal

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

150 grams butter
125 grams honey
75 grams granulated sugar
100 grams brown sugar
60 ml milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs room tmeperature

Dry Ingredients

250 grams ap flour
150 grams almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon ground
1.5 tsp ginger ground
1 tsp cloves ground
1 tsp all spice ground
1/2 tsp nutmeg ground

Add-Ins

40 grams crystalized ginger chopped
40 grams candied orange peel chopped

Glazes

200 grams powdered sugar
3 tbsp water
200 grams dark chocolate

Instructions

Prepare the Wet Ingredients

In a small sauce pot, combine butter, honey, both sugars, and milk.
Place over medium heat and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently.
Once it comes to a boil, remove it from heat, and stir in both extracts.
Set aside to cool.

Prepare the Dry Ingredients and Add-Ins

In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
If needed, chop the add-ins into 1/4" chunks.

Make the cookie dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs on high speed until light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer down to medium speed and slowly pour the prepared wet ingredients down the side of the bowl.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the dry ingredients and add-ins.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Bake the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F and arrange two racks so that they divide the oven into thirds.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Use a 1/4 cup scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
Leave at least 2" between each cookie, about 8 cookies should fit on each baking sheet.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Rotate and swap the baking sheets after 10 minutes.
While the cookies bake, prepare both glazes.
In a medium bowl whisk the water and powdered sugar together to create a plain glaze that is the consistency of honey.
In a separate, microwave safe bowl, melt the dark chocolate and set aside.
Immediately after the cookies are finished baking, brush the plain glaze onto half of the cookies and the melted chocolate onto the other half.
Leave the cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Notes

These cookies should be stored in an airtight container. They will keep for at least one week and actually taste best 2-3 days after being made.

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