My Great-Grandma’s German Lebkuchen Recipe That All My Friends Ask For
This German lebkuchen recipe, studded through with hazelnuts, is everything wintery spice and citrus was meant to be – and is so much better than gingerbread. We promise.
If you’re getting a bit sick and tired of regular old gingerbread, this German Christmas cookie might be more your style. This spiced lebkuchen recipe was passed down from my German great-grandmother, and after a bit of trial and error, I was able to take her rather sparse instructions (mix together, bake at medium) to a foolproof recipe that works every time.
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The Difference Between German Lebkuchen Recipe & Gingerbread Christmas Cookies
While there are similarities between traditional German lebkuchen and the gingerbread cookies you may have grown up with, the spices and look for one, I prefer lebkuchen. The sweet and zippy, tickly notes you get from the fresh orange juice and zest add that something extra. And don’t even get me started on the zesty glaze.
The most noticeable difference comes in how it bakes up. The lebkuchen dough actually bakes up more like a cake than a cookie. But once it’s cut into bars and topped with the tart icing, it becomes the perfect bite-sized morsel. It also stands up fairly well over a few days, so you can easily keep these around on a cookie plate to enjoy in the days leading up to Christmas.
Your New Favorite Gingerbread Recipe Alternative: Make Ahead Tips
Because I don’t have the huge German family that my great-grandmother had to feed, I usually cut my final brick of lebkuchen base in quarters and freeze three of them, wrapped tightly in foil. This way, I can defrost, drizzle with icing, and enjoy at my own pace. Of course, if you’ve got family in time for Christmas, you’ll likely need to serve it up all at once.
If you’re serving this for the holidays, bringing it for a baked goods exchange, or giving it as a gift, it’ll be a hit. Our peppermint bark with dark chocolate also goes well in all of these categories.
German Lebkuchen Recipe
Icing
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition. Add the orange juice and zest and mix to combine.
- Fold in the chopped hazelnuts. Sift in the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder, and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Spread on a buttered 11 by 16-inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Set aside to cool.
- When the cake is cool, make the icing. Whisk the lemon juice and the powdered sugar together. Drizzle the icing over the cooled lebkuchen and cut into squares.
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