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Lebkuchen Recipe

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4.8 from 57 reviews

Lebkuchen is a traditional German spiced cookie featuring warm spices, honey, and candied citrus peel, perfect for the holiday season. This recipe yields soft and flavorful cookies glazed with a lemon sugar icing.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs

Add-ins

  • 1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup candied lemon peel, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and all the ground spices including cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir well to blend evenly.
  3. Heat Honey Mixture: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the honey and brown sugar, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly.
  4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the honey and sugar mixture to the dry ingredients along with the eggs, candied orange and lemon peel, and slivered almonds. Mix thoroughly until a cohesive dough forms.
  5. Form Cookies: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place them spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets, then gently flatten each ball slightly with your fingers or the back of a spoon to shape the cookies.
  6. Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until they are firm to the touch but still soft inside.
  7. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Prepare Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and slightly runny for easy brushing.
  9. Glaze Cookies: Brush the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies evenly and allow the glaze to set and harden before serving.

Notes

  • You can substitute ground almonds with ground hazelnuts for a different nutty flavor.
  • If you prefer a less sweet glaze, reduce the powdered sugar or add more lemon juice for tanginess.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week to maintain freshness.
  • Rolling the dough balls tight helps the cookies hold better shape while baking.
  • Make sure the honey and sugar mixture is slightly cooled; adding it hot to eggs can cause curdling.

Find it online: https://lovelycooks.com/lebkuchen-recipe/