Description
Traditional German Lebkuchen Cookies infused with warm spices, honey, and citrus zest, topped with a sweet lemon glaze and optionally decorated with sprinkles or almonds. These soft, delicious cookies are perfect for festive occasions and improve in flavor after resting.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Lebkuchen
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- 1 cup (200 g) dark soft brown sugar (Muscovado sugar)
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp white pepper (optional)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose/plain flour
- 1 cup (100 g) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (use only if dough is a bit dry)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil (for the bowl)
For the glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste, adjust as needed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum (optional)
To decorate (optional)
- Sprinkles or sanding sugar
- Flaked almonds
To store
- Orange peel strips
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine honey and dark soft brown sugar, warming in the microwave for 30 second bursts until the sugar dissolves, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add cubed unsalted butter, orange zest, and lemon zest, stirring until the butter melts. Mix in baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, grated nutmeg, white pepper if using, lemon zest, and the beaten egg. Gradually add the flour and ground almonds, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms; add lemon juice if the dough feels dry. Lightly oil a spatula or your hands, shape the dough into a ball, cover with a towel, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and optional rum until smooth and runny. Divide dough into thirds and roll out on a silicone baking mat to about 2cm thickness. Use cookie cutters like round, star, or heart shapes to cut cookies. Place cookies spaced apart on the silicone mat. Bake for 12 minutes, then repeat for remaining dough, rerolling scraps as necessary.
- Glaze and decorate: Transfer warm cookies to a wire rack and brush them with the prepared lemon glaze while still warm. Allow glaze to dry and add a second layer if desired. Decorate with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or flaked almonds according to preference. For chocolate coating, see notes.
- Store: Store the cooled, glazed cookies in a cake tin separated by parchment paper to prevent sticking. Add strips of orange peel to the tin to enhance flavor. These cookies improve in taste over time, making them excellent festive gifts.
Notes
- Chocolate glaze: To coat Lebkuchen in chocolate, melt ½ cup (90g) dark chocolate chips over simmering water in a heatproof bowl without letting the bowl touch the water. When almost melted, remove from heat and add remaining ½ cup (90g) chips, stirring gently until fully melted. Dip cookies into the chocolate and allow to dry on a wire rack before storing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
