Today I wanted to share the recipe for one of my favourite Christmas treats - lebkuchen! For those of you who aren't aware, lebkuchen are German spiced biscuits, pretty similar to gingerbread, but usually soft. They are so incredibly delicious and their rich spicing makes them perfect for sharing at Christmas.
Obviously, not being German, I didn't have a traditional family recipe tucked up my sleeve so I took to the internet in search of something which would best resemble the lebkuchen I have eaten and enjoyed. Now, again, not being German, nor having ever been to Germany, I don't consider myself a lebkuchen expert. I haven't tried many types, but the ones I have tried have been seriously addictive! So whilst I can't vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, take it from me - they are GOOD.
For me, a good lebkuchen has to be soft and cakey and heady with the scent of ginger. The other spices are important too but there must be a good kick of ginger! The quantities of spices below have been tweaked from the original recipe. It was also important for me to find a recipe which would allow me to cut festive shapes out of the dough - too many recipes I found suggested that I could only roll out balls of the dough, since it spread out so much during baking and I really didn't want that. This dough holds its shape perfectly during baking and is also a dream to prepare. Let's face it, when making Christmas treats, we don't want to be messing about with complicated recipes do we? The simpler the recipe, the more batches that can be made, right?!
These wonderfully simple biscuits take less than 10 minutes to bake too, so they truly are quick and simple to make. The traditional glaze for lebkuchen consists of a mixture of icing sugar and egg white but I didn't fancy that. Chocolate Dipped Lebkuchen are the only way to go in my eyes! Chocolate makes everything better. Plus you can get really creative with the shapes you make and how you dip them - go to town! They would even look amazing with some festive sprinkles, although I suspect I'd get a disapproving frown from traditionalists for doing so! No matter - these are for YOU. Or, they could be for the happy recipient of a lovingly made edible gift. It's up to you. Just promise me you'll give them a try, because these are divine! I can't wait to make another batch of these myself!
Jodie Mo says
I LOVE lebkuchen! I've have some German roaming around in my family so cookies like this were always around when I was a kid. I love that you dipped them in chocolate and those little tiny cutters are adorable!
Sasha says
Thanks Jodie! They taste amazing dipped in chocolate so I highly recommend it! And I know, I love the cutters too and I just got some that are even smaller and cuter!
Amanda @ The Pretend Baker says
Oooh these sound so amazing! I had never heard of lebkuchen until this year. Clearly I have to try them! I also love a lot of ginger 🙂
Sasha says
You definitely need to try them! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hana | Nirvana Cakery says
Sasha, these look amazing! And dipping them in chocolate makes them look even more enticing 🙂 xx
Sasha says
Thank you Hana 🙂 chocolate makes everything look more enticing, doesn't it?! xx
Michelle @ The Last Food Blog says
These are gorgeous Sasha, perfectly festive! We will have to give these a try over the holidays x
Sasha says
Ooh I hope you do give them a try - it'll be so worth it I promise! I'm making some more very soon! xx
Viktoria Radichkova says
These look sooo good, Sasha! I love lebkuchen but never made them myself. Saving this recipe to try!!
Sasha says
Thanks Viktoria! I hope you love them!
Amanda says
The German lady who lived across the street used to bring us all kinds of German goodies, and this was one of them. Delicious!
Sasha says
Ah how cool! They really are a delicious treat 🙂
Michelle Ferrand says
Gingerbread is normally not my favorite cookie, but since you said these are soft I may have to give them a try! Also..dipped in chocolate!?!? YUM!
Sasha says
Hey Michelle! Trust me - these are so good! And yep, chocolate makes everything better! Hope you give them a try!
Erin says
Perfect Christmas cookies! You can't go wrong with chocolate & spice.
Sasha says
Thanks Erin! You certainly can't go wrong with that combination 🙂
Tracey says
I'm so excited to make these for edible gifts this Christmas, yum!
Tracy says
You turn nice seasonal bsicuits into objects of wonder with that gorgeous glossy chocolate outside and whirls!