Classic Lebkuchen Recipe - German Christmas Cookies [EASY ❤] (2024)

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.

📕 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 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.

🎉 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.

🍱 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.

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!

📖 Recipe