Traditional German Christmas Cookies- Recipes to Bake Links to Buy

Oh my, I do love Traditional German Christmas Cookies. We would bake some, but most we would get from my Opa. You see, every year he would carry a suitcase full over or send us a massive package , wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine… we’d open it up and find a treasure trove of Cookies ( Plätzchen), and Chocolates (Schokolade).  Mom would keep a plate with a few of them on the coffee table from the beginning of December (well, the first Sunday of Advent) until the 12th Day of Christmas… January 6th. And on Christmas Eve she’d fill up a Bunte Teller for each of us! The best German Christmas cookies are often loaded with spices like cinnamon or ginger, and hold up well. Cookies like Lebkuchen, Spekolatius, Springerle, Vanille Kipferl, Pfeffernusse, and Zimt Sterne.

Traditional German Christmas Cookies

To me… That cinnamon smell, that sweet crunch, that big Bunter Teller of Cookies IS Christmas

I’ve included links to German Christmas Cookie Recipes for some of the cookies, and links for ordering others. Enjoy the flavors of a German Christmas with these delicious cookies. You can bake or buy German Christmas cookies, no matter where you are.

Order this selection Here–> Silke’s Cookie Tin

What is Lebkuchen? One of the BEST German Christmas Cookies!

Soft Honey Gingerbread

Lebkuchen is a type of gingerbread made with a variety of spices and honey. In Nuremberg, there is a guild of German Bakers who keep the recipe for their original Lebkuchen TOP SECRET…. and only cookies baked according to this recipe (with a thin edible wafer under the cookie, and is often dipped in a dark, bitter chocolate) can be called Nuremberger Lebkuchen.

Other types of Lebkuchen exist… plain, with nuts or dried fruits… with jelly filling or plain. Lebkuchen keeps for a long time, so if you have a lot, you don’t have to eat it all at once. Also, I found that one of the bigger cookies is not only delicious, with a cup of coffee, it fills my tummy nicely in the middle of the afternoon.

The Lebkuchen Schmidt Company sells a large tin gift chest every Christmas LOADED with all sorts of Lebkuchen sorten (types). I love it, both for the cookies, and because I’m left with a nice tin when the season is over. But there are loads of other options.

Learn more about Lebkuchen Here–> Lebkuchen

Hexenhaus- Witches Gingerbread HouseGermanShop24

Bahlsen Dark Chocolate Edel LebkuchenGermanShop24Mini Contessa LebkuchenGermanShop24Bahlsen lebkuchen PretzelGermanShop24Weiss Assorted LebkuchenGermanShop24

Wicklein Organic Chocolate Covered Lebkuchen Hearts with Cassis Blackcurrant Filling, 8.46 ozWicklein Meistersinger Lebkuchen – Triple Sort – Cello BagFine Nuremberg Gingerbread (Oblaten-Lebkuchen) Cookies

Lebkuchen of the year 2021 Elisen-Königin without flour in the doughSchmidt LebkuchenGingerbread Roasted Almond chocolate-coated Elisen-Lebkuchen with almond brittleSchmidt LebkuchenChocolate Elisen less sweet Delicious Elisen Lebkuchen, less sugarSchmidt LebkuchenMarzipan Mini-Elise exquisite Lebkuchen with marzipanSchmidt Lebkuchenlise Plum-Cinnamon Lebkuchen of the Year 2020Schmidt Lebkuchen

Dominosteine

Dominosteine (Domino Rocks?) are an interesting hybrid between Cookie and Candy. Layers of Marzipan, Lebkuchen and Jelly are robed in chocolate (dark is most common, but milk and white chocolate are also available). These little squares are favorites on German cookie trays!

Dresdener Marzipan DominosteineGermanShop24Domino Steine SelectionGermanShop24

LAMBERTZ Chocolate Aachener Dominos, 250 GRSchulte Milk Chocolate DOMINO-Steine Marzipan dominos 175g

Zimt Sterne

Bake your own Zimt Sterne with this delicious Cinnamon Star Cookies recipe. These cookies are made with Ground Almonds, Egg White, Lemon Zest and lots of Spices… they are GLUTEN FREE!

These little cookies have a very strong flavor that gets better as they age.
Bake Your own Zimtsterne–> Zimtsterne Recipe

Lambertz Zimtsterne Cinnamon Cookies Gift 175gWicklein Zimtsterne Cinnamon Star Cookie – Nuss-sterne German Holiday Cookies – With Nuts & Almonds, 5.29 oz

Zimt SterneGermanShop24

Spritz Cookies

Spritz cookies got their name from how they are made. In German, the name Spritz means “to squirt”… and you get their shape from squirting or spritzing them through a machine. Spritz cookies are a light, crunchy butter cookie. They can also be made with nuts or chocolate. Bonus points if you dip them into chocolate. You do have to use the machine to get the ruffled edges… but the ultimate shape is up to you. Wreath, bar, or s shape… all are acceptable, and quite yummy.

Find a great Traditional Spritz Cookie Recipe Here–> The Oma Way Spritz Cookies

Spritz cookies got their name from how they are made. In German, the name Spritz means “to squirt”… and you get their shape from squirting or spritzing them through a machine. Spritz cookies are a light, crunchy butter cookie. They can also be made with nuts or chocolate. Bonus points if you dip them into chocolate. You do have to use the machine to get the ruffled edges… but the ultimate shape is up to you. Wreath, bar, or s shape… all are acceptable, and quite yummy.

Butter Rich Spritz Cookies – 4 dozen-Variety shapes, flavors,simply Good and DelectableHoliday Spritz Cookie Tins 6 Dozen

Springerle?

Anise flavored German Christmas Cookies

Springerle are an Anise flavored (think black licorice) cookie made from an egg white, flour and sugar dough. It is pressed into a mold, or rolled out with a special rolling pin that is carved with shapes or pictures. After baking, the cookies are often painted to enhance the picture.

The recipes for these cookies date back to early Germanic Tribes, and were often exchanged as gifts during the holidays.

I’m not a huge fan of Anise … but I LOVE the way these cookies look, and I’ve collected a few of the molds to decorate my kitchen.

Looking for a simple German Anise Cookies Recipe? Try this one Springerle

Springerle Cookies w/ Holiday Tin – Traditional German Anise / Anis Biscuits (16 Count) – Old World Style Christmas Holiday Baked Goods

 What is Spekulatius?

Molded Cinnamon Cookies

My dad is NUTS for Spekulatius…. you can’t have enough of them around.

These wonderful cinnamon cookies taste so good with a glass of milk or a cup of tea. They are light, crisp and delicious. (In fact, they are so crisp, they are prone to breaking, so don’t throw them around!!)

They come with almond slices baked into the back, but you can find them plain as well. 

Bahlsen Butter SpekulatiusGermanShop24Bahlsen Spiced SpekulatiusGermanShop24Borggreve Spiced SpekulatiusGermanShop24Spiced Cookies, Spekulatius Authentic German Holiday Cookies by Winternacht 600 grams (pack of 2)

Bake your own Spekulatius

Here is a recipe for these delightful cookies along with the spice anda

Small windmill mould / mold with vandotsch speculaas spice to make authentic Dutch speculaas biscuits

Schwarz Weiß Gebäck

Simply translated… Black and White Cookies. Actually you make a chocolate and vanilla dough, then shape them together. My mom usually rolled out each dough flat, laid the chocolate on top of the vanilla, then rolled them up together…. then she’s slice the dough roll to make pinwheel cookies. You can also cut strips to combine into a checkerboard shape.

Find a recipe here–> Schwarz-Weiß Gebäck

Chocolate Vanilla Swirls – 1 Dozen

Linzer Cookies (Linzer Augen)

Linzer Cookies are really Austrian, but they have found there way onto so many German Cookie plates, that I decided that they needed to be included in this list. These delicious sandwich cookies are made from the same dough as the famous Linzer Torte, but are put together a bit differently (The cookies are baked separately, the bottom cookie is topped by jam, and a same sized cookie with a hole or “eye” in it… the Torte is baked all together). The dough is made with a combination of flour and almond flour, to make them light and crisp. The added lemon peel adds a wonderful flavor. Traditionally they are filled with Black Current preserves, but you can use Raspberry, or whatever flavor you like. (I’ve even filled them with Nutella!)

I have a great memory of my mom making these cookies every year. She always used her wedding band to cut that circle in the top cookie dough. Follow this link for a great recipe for Linzer Cookies

Buy Linzer Cookies

10 Delicious Austrian Linzer Tart Cookies – customized for any occasionMy Dad’s Cookies® 3 pack of Raspberry Linzer (3 6oz Packages)

What are Pfeffernüsse?

Are they Really Made from Pepper and Nuts?

German Pfeffernusse Cookie Recipes vary… some are made with ground almonds or walnuts, but most commercial brands are nut free. They are loaded with different spices, like cloves and cinnamon, but not necessarily pepper.

Pfeffernüsse (Pfeffernusse Pronunciation – Feffer nu sa)are really hard when they are first baked… best to dunk them…. but they soften up as they age, and get better and better. Often they are rolled in powdered sugar, but they are also dipped in chocolate. I love the commercial ones that are sealed in a sugar glaze… mmmmm

If you want to bake your own, here is a Traditional Pfeffernusse Recipe

Buy Pfeffernüsse

PfeffernusseWicklein Pfeffernusse Iced Gingerbread Cookies 7ozLAMBERTZ Pfeffernusse, 150 GR

Printen

Printen are a type of Lebkuchen.. but they have a slightly different texture. Originally these cookies were made with imported American Wild-Flower honey in Belgium, but the recipe reached the city of Aachen, where bakers happily made it their own. Using honey made the cookies chewy and extra sweet. Sadly, Napoleon cut off their supply, so they switched up to beet-sugar. The spicy flavor comes from cinnamon, clove, aniseed, spices, ginger, coriander, and cardamom, but the exact recipe for Aachen Printen is protected by the Protected Design Origin. What I like about them is the bite of crystal sugar that is baked in to each cookie. Like a sweet surprise.

You can buy Printen plain, or dipped in dark chocolate (YUM). It’s even possible to get them dipped in Chocolate and NUTS. (soooo good)

Find a recipe for Printen HERE—> Printen Recipe

Fine Chocolate Aachner PrintenGermanShop24Spiced Aachner PrintenGermanShop24

Lambertz Aachener Krauter Printen – German Holiday Cookies, 7.1 oz

Vanille Kipferl

Vanilla Crescents

Vanilla Kipferl might be Traditional German Christmas Cookies, but I think these sweet and crumbly cookies are good any time of year. VanilleKipferl are made with ground Almonds… you can grind them yourself, or buy Almond meal. After baking they are dipped into sugar or vanilla sugar.

They are fairly easy to make… find the  Vanille Kipferl Recipe Here

KipferlGermanShop24Original Austrian Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Hazelnut Crescents) – 14 oz

Traditional German Christmas Cookies Recipes

Christmas Baking: Traditional Recipes Made Easy

Christian Teubner’s book assembles all of the traditional German Christmas Cookies in one place.

The recipes are all easy to follow, and are adapted for American Measurements.

If you want to bake authentic German Christmas cookies, and can’t read German, this book is a great tool. Read a more detailed review here—>>> Christmas Baking:Traditional Recipes Made Easy

Christmas Baking: Traditional Recipes Made Easy (English and German Edition)

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My New favorite is German Baking, which has a section on Christmas Baking

Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen