Making Lebkuchen - Everything About Lebkuchen

What Is Lebkuchen?

Lebkuchen (German gingerbread) is one of the classic baked goods of the Christmas season and instantly brings to mind grandma's recipe collection. It originally comes from southern Germany, especially Nuremberg, home of the famous Elisenlebkuchen. Unlike many other Christmas cookies, lebkuchen isn't a simple cookie dough, but a moist, almost cake-like treat.

If you want to make lebkuchen yourself, you mainly need patience and high-quality ingredients, then it will taste just like fresh from the Christmas market. Its base is made from ground nuts and almonds, a bit of flour, and a rich blend of honey and spices. Typical for Elisenlebkuchen is a base of edible wafers and a coating of chocolate or icing. The size of lebkuchen can vary too, from small lebkuchen to large lebkuchen hearts, anything is possible.

In English, something similar is known as gingerbread, but the differences are notable: gingerbread typically contains more flour, bakes firmer, and has a stronger ginger flavor, while German lebkuchen is softer, more aromatic, and less sweet.

What Ingredients Go into an Elisenlebkuchen?

Elisenlebkuchen are considered the best lebkuchen since they contain almost no flour and are made mainly from ground nuts. Typical lebkuchen ingredients include almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts, honey, sugar, eggs, candied orange peel, and candied lemon peel. Edible wafers are used as a base so the lebkuchen don't spread while baking.

If you want to bake lebkuchen yourself, you can adapt the basic recipe however you like, for example with a splash of rum, cocoa, or fresh orange zest for a special twist. Healthier lebkuchen are also possible if you replace some of the sugar with honey, dates, or coconut blossom sugar.

Which Spices Are Used in Lebkuchen?

Lebkuchen thrives on its spices. Classic additions include cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, coriander, ginger, and sometimes anise. Each of these ingredients brings its own note, and they need to be perfectly balanced.

Lebkuchen Recipe - Your Guide to Making Lebkuchen

Ingredients for Lebkuchen:

• 200 grams ground hazelnuts
• 200 grams ground almonds
• 150 grams sugar
• Three eggs
• 100 g finely chopped candied orange peel
• 100 g finely chopped candied lemon peel
• One tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp allspice
• A pinch of salt
• One packet of vanilla sugar
• One to two tbsp flour (optional, if the dough is too soft)
• 12 edible wafers (Ø 70 mm)
• Chocolate or icing for coating, as desired

Tools for Lebkuchen:

• Mixing bowl
• Spoon or hand mixer
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Oven
• Brush for the glaze

Instructions for the Lebkuchen Recipe:

1. Preheat the Oven for Lebkuchen

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) with fan (or 180°C/356°F conventional heat). Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper so nothing sticks later.

2. Prepare the Lebkuchen Dough

Put the ground nuts, sugar, spices, candied orange peel, and candied lemon peel into a large bowl. Mix everything well so the flavors distribute evenly.

3. Add the Eggs

Now add the eggs and stir until you get a sticky but moldable mixture. If the dough is too soft, you can add one to two tablespoons of flour. This gives the dough the right consistency for perfect lebkuchen.

4. Spread the Lebkuchen Dough onto the Wafers

Place the wafers on the baking sheet. Using a tablespoon, add some dough to each one and spread it evenly. Make sure the layer is about one centimeter thick, this keeps the lebkuchen nice and moist rather than too flat once baked.

5. Bake the Lebkuchen

Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the lebkuchen for 18–20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. They should be firm on the outside but still soft on the inside, that's what makes the best lebkuchen.

6. Cool and Decorate the Lebkuchen

Once baked, let the lebkuchen cool briefly. Now you can coat them with melted chocolate or icing, as desired. For extra-special lebkuchen, you can also sprinkle on chopped nuts, candied fruit, or edible gold flakes.

7. Store and Enjoy the Lebkuchen

Let the lebkuchen cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. This keeps the lebkuchen fresh for weeks while letting the full flavor develop. Many even say that homemade lebkuchen taste even better after a few days.