All about Lebkuchen- Delicious German Spice Cookies

It’s a common question this time of year… What is Lebkuchen? Is it like Gingerbread? The answer is yes… sort of. You shouldn’t expect a snappy gingerbread man when someone offers you a Lebkuchen cookie. Lebkuchen is not crispy or crunchy and tends to be round or rectangular (seldom person-shaped). It’s a rich, soft, spicy, sweet, and filling cookie (or bar) with a cake-like texture. There are many types of Lebkuchen, but they all contain spices, honey, and, often, ground nuts. Some get dipped in chocolate, some have chopped candied citrus peel, and some are glazed with sugar glaze. Let me share a bit more about Lebkuchen, the history of this cookie, what goes in it, and the different varieties so you can find your favorites.

Lebkuchen at the Nürnberg Christkindl Markt

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What is Lebkuchen?

I’ve always considered Lebkuchen to be a German CHRISTMAS Cookie, but it wasn’t always so. The mainstay of the Bunter Teller has been around since the the Middle Ages even longer if you consider the Honey Spice cookies in Ancient Egypt to be Lebkuchen, but I have a feeling those cookies/cakes bore only a slight resemblance to the ones produced today.

Lebkuchen History

Crusaders are credited with bringing many spices to Europe. Pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon made foods taste better and acted as preservatives. One theory is that we associate these spices with Christmas because the Crusaders brought the spices from the Holy Land, which was tied up with the story of the Wise Men bringing spices and incense to Baby Jesus.

But the most crucial part was PRESERVATIVE.

TODAY’S Lebkuchen arrived in Germany when bakers in Aachen modified a Belgian recipe and created (my favorite) Aachen Printen. From there… Lebkuchen spread through monasteries by Monks and Nuns who were looking for something that was filling and had a long shelf-life to store it for hard times.

It is first mentioned in 1296 in Ulm and then Nuremberg in the 14th century. Munich’s tax rolls show that a “Lebzelter,” a professional Lebkuchen baker, lived there in 1370.

Nuremberg became especially famous for its Lebkuchen. It helped that they had ready access to two of the main ingredients. Because the city sat at the crossroads of the trade routes, it was easy for them to get all the spices they needed. Also, the city was surrounded by the Reichswald (forest), also known as the “Emperor’s Bee Garden.” Lebküchner in Nuremberg had everything they needed to produce world-class Lebkuchen, and they still do!

 

From the Nuremberg Christmas Market… Lots of Spices and Bee Hives make
Nuremberg famous for Lebkuchen

What spices are in Lebkuchen Gewürz?

Although Honey makes them sweet, and adds to their longevity, a whole load of spices go in to Lebkuchen to make them flavorful.

The Spice mix includes–

Cinnamon – 5 Tbl
Cloves – 1 1/2 Tbl
Allspice – 1 tsp.
Coriander– (optional) 1/2 tsp.
Green Cardamom (I LOVE Cardamom!) – 1 tsp.
Ground Ginger – 1 tsp.
Star Anise – 3/4 tsp.
Mace – 1 tsp (Every wonder what that mystery box of Mace in your Oma’s pantry was for? Mystery solved)

All spices must be finely ground… a coffee grinder works well for this (just keep in mind that it will make your coffee taste like spices forever). You can also get a spice mill. The tricky bit is the amounts. No two recipes agree on the exact amounts… you can start with the list above, then adjust according to your tastes.

Of course, for some people it’s easier to BUY it–>

Lebkuchen GewürzGermanShop24

Variations

Different regions developed different specialties. For example, in Thorne, they are sometimes filled, in Nuremberg, they are often decorated with Almonds or Candied Citron, and in Munich, Lebkuchen is cut out with a cookie cutter, and given a glaze.

My favorite variation story? Monks devised a creative way to keep them from sticking while baking in the days before non-stick spray and baking parchment. The dough was placed on a communion wafer (I guess they had a few extras around the church). Today, the wafers are called Oblaten, and they are still very much a part of Lebkuchen baking. (I do have some communion questions now… but I’ll save them for my Pastor so no one here gets upset).

 

Different types

There are 2 different TYPES of Lebkuchen.  That is, there are 2 different Lebkuchen dough types that make all the different Varieties of Lebkuchen. It’s all in the flour… although eggs and honey make a difference too.

Shaped Lebkuchen is Braune Lebkuchen… whether it’s covered in chocolate or not

Braune Lebkuchen

Brown Lebkuchen, is made with more flour, always uses honey, and is generally shaped or pressed into a mold. Some of the more familiar Braune Lebkuchen varieties are-
Honig Kuchen– Honey Cake
Printen – Long Rectangle Cookies with sugar bits
Dominosteine– Square Shaped Cookie Confections with Marzipan, Gelee and Chocolate
Lebkuchen Hearts and Stars – chocolate or covered in a pink or white sugar glaze
Gefüllter Lebkuchen– Lebkuchen with Filling

Other variations of Braune Lebkuchen include Pfeffernüsse, Gingerbread Hearts (like the ones you see at Oktoberfest) and Pfefferkuchen.

With little to no Flour, Oblatenlebkuchen needs to be baked on an Oblaten to keep it from sticking

Oblatenlebkuchen

Oblatenlebkuchen, has little to no Flour. Made primarily from ground nuts and sugar or honey. Because it has low flour content and is high in oil-rich nuts, you can use sugar to sweeten this kind of Lebkuchen without worrying it will harden. Like Macron dough, Lebkuchen dough is generally piped, so it doesn’t stick; it goes onto a wafer or Oblaten.  Some familiar Oblatenlebkuchen varieties are-

Oblatenlebkuchen– Either frosted with a glaze or dipped in chocolate

Weißelebkuchen– A Rectangular-shaped Lebkuchen with more eggs.

Elisenlebkuchen– This is the HIGHEST quality of Lebkuchen, made with virtually no flour.

Back Oblaten 70mmGermanShop24Back Oblaten 90mmGermanShop24Back Oblaten SquareGermanShop24

Where to Buy Lebkuchen

So, are you hungry now?  You can order some here, without even getting out of your chair!

Pfeffernüsse- PeppernutsGermanShop24MagenbrotGermanShop24Dark Chocolate PrintenGermanShop24Lebkuchen KonfektGermanShop24

 

Lebkuchen Schmidt Chests, Tins, and Cookies

You can buy beautiful Lebkuchen Schmidt gift tins and chests from European Deli.  Save 10% with Coupon Code GGIA10

Lebkuchen Schmidt Festive Chest 2024European Deli Coupon Code GGIA10

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Bake Your Own

 

There are loads of Recipes… depending on which kind you like. Find a good selection of recipes here
And start baking!

Die beliebtesten Rezepte (German Edition)Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen