It’s a pretty common question this time of year… What is Lebkuchen? is it like Gingerbread? The answer is yes… sort of. When someone offers you a Lebkuchen cookie, you shouldn’t expect a snappy gingerbread man. Lebkuchen is not crispy or crunchy…and it tends to be round or rectangular (seldom person-shaped). It’s a rich, soft, spicy sweet, and very filling cookie (or bar) with a cake-like texture. There are many types of Lebkuchen, but they all contain spices, honey, and ground nuts. Some get dipped in chocolate, some have chopped candied citrus peel, and some are glazed with sugar glaze. Let me share a little bit more about Lebkuchen, the history of this cookie, what goes in them, 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 not only made foods taste better… they acted as preservatives. One theory has it that the reason we associate these spices with Christmas is that the Crusaders brought the spices from the Holy land… and this got tied up with the story of the Wise Men bringing spices and incense to Baby Jesus.
But the most important part was PRESERVATIVE.
TODAY’S Lebkuchen arrived in Germany when bakers in Aachen in 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 long shelf-life, so it could be stored for hard times.
It is first mentioned in 1296 in Ulm, and then Nuremberg in the 14th century. Munich’s tax rolls show that there was a “Lebzelter” professional Lebkuchen baker, in 1370.
Nuremberg became especially famous for their 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, it’s always easier to BUY it–>
Variations
Different regions developed different specialties… for example, in Thorne, they are sometimes given a filling, in Nuremberg they are often decorated with Almonds or Candied Citron, and in Munich, it is cut out with a cookie cutter, and given a glaze.
My favorite variation story? In the days before non-stick spray and baking parchment, Monks came up with a creative way to keep them from sticking while baking. The dough was placed on a communion wafer (I guess they had a few of those lying around the church anyway). 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).
Gingerbread Hansel and Gretel Witch HouseGermanShop24
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, sugar or honey. Because it has low flour content, and is high is oil rich nuts, you can use sugar to sweeten this kind of Lebkuchen without worrying that it will harden. Similar to Macron dough, Lebkuchen dough is generally piped, and 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
So, are you hungry now? You can order some here, without even getting out of your chair!
Bahlsen Milk Chocolate LebkuchenGermanShop24Weiss Contrella Classic LebkuchenGermanShop24Weiss Assorted LebkuchenGermanShop24
Weiss Oblaten LebkuchenGermanShop24
Buy Lebkuchen from Lebkuchen Schmidt in Germany
You can buy beautiful gift tins and chests to use again year after year… and they carry huge selection of Lebkuchen and other cookies.
holiday chest A chest with the finest pastriesSchmidt Lebkuchen
Bake Your Own
Home made Lebkuchen is DELICIOUS!
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
I like your topics and explanations. Thank you!
thank you !!!
I make it every year!
http://thefoodnatic.blogspot.com/2013/12/happy-christmas-from-europe-with-love.html?m=1
Is this also known as lep cookies ?? The ones I have had last indefinitely in an air tight container.
Interesting… I’d never heard of Lep Cookies! It looks like they are a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe… which would be American German. Very cool! Thanks
(And Lebkuchen last forever… they were the original travel/camping food)
I bake them every year
The lebkuchen I had as a child were made in a cookie sheet and had a glaze. They were cut into rectangles and were always hard as a rock to eat and had to be dunked. I tried to make them once but they were nothing like I remembered.
There really are a lot of different recipes. I have a recipe for a sheet cookie Lebkuchen in my Easy German Cookbook. I don’t know that they get that hard… mostly because they don’t last long enough. Find it here-> Easy German Cookbook
This is my Grandma’s Lebkuchen recipe. Her family was from Ost Preußen, and she was the only one in her family born in this country. These cookies are white and contain citron. My grandma was always short on directions, so you’re on your own pretty much. My Mom loved these but they were not my favorite.
5 eggs
2 c sugar
1/2 # citron
1/4 # almonds
2 c flour
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
Mix. Roll out in evening. Let stand overnight. Spread white of egg over top of squares and bake.
It’s like a Baking Show technical challenge! I’m going to try it. Thank you!!!
Did she add a Sugar glaze after baking?
No, it was just the egg white. I’ve never made them, and I don’t remember my Mom adding a sugar glaze.
I’m going to try the recipe… thank you.