German Lebkuchen Cookies
Lebkuchen are a Christmas tradition for my family. What other cookie gets BETTER with age? You can make these the first week of December and they'll be at their best right in time for the holiday. They have a beautifully complex flavor profile and can be made long before the "Christmas crunch" hits!IMPORTANT: Store these in an airtight container with a slice of apple or a scrap of orange peel to keep them soft. Replace the apple/orange peel as needed! Do not store with other cookies as the other cookies will take on their flavor!
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 170 g honey about 1/2 cup
- 200 g brown sugar, soft about 1 cup
- 60 g unsalted butter, cubed 1/4 cup
- 1 egg large, lightly beaten
- 1 t lemon zest
- 1 t orange zest
- 1 T lemon juice only if dough is dry!
- 300 g all-purpose flour about 1-3/4 cups
- 100 g almond flour
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 2 t ground cinnamon (I like Vietnamese)
- 1/2 t fine sea salt
- 1/2 t ground allspice
- 1/4 t ground ginger
- 1/4 t ground cloves
- 1/4 t ground nutmeg
- 1/8 t white pepper (optional)
Glaze Ingredients:
- 120 g powdered sugar about 1 cup
- 1 t lemon juice
- 1 t clear vanilla so the icing stays pure white
- 1 t rum (optional but highly recommended) I used Captain Morgan's spiced rum
- milk Up to 3T, as needed for consistency
Optional: sprinkles, colored sugar, and/or sparkling sugar
Instructions
Preparing the dough
- Measure the honey and sugar in a mixing bowl and heat in the microwave for 30-second bursts, stirring until the sugar is dissolved
- Add cubed butter and zest, stirring until butter melts
- Stir in baking powder, soda, salt, spices, and egg
- Add both flours. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice if needed.
- Mist hands with oil and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.
Preparing the glaze
- Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until you have a thin and runny glaze
Rolling and baking the dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Take about a third of the dough and roll it between two pieces of waxed paper to a thickness of about an inch. If difficult to roll, place in fridge 30 minutes to chill.
- Cut shapes using cookie cutters (no complex shapes!). Bake for 12-minutes on parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering any scraps and re-incorporating them.
- While the cookies are still warm (but not hot!), brush with the glaze
- Allow the glaze to dry and then add a second layer (if desired). Before the glaze dries, add any decorations you like (sparkling sugar, colored sugar, sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc.)
- Place the cookies in a sealed container, separated by wax paper so they don’t stick. Store with a few orange peels or an apple slice, replacing them as needed. Lebkuchen get better with age!
Notes
Some years ago, I switched to a French Rolling Pin, and I'll never go back. The French rolling pin gives me so much more control than the traditional kind with handles. Mine is stainless steel because all my tools need to tough it out in the dishwasher. The wooden ones are beautiful, though, if you're up for hand-washing!