Snack · 60 min · german

Lebkuchen — German Gingerbread

Weeknight-friendly German cooking: Lebkuchen — German Gingerbread comes together in 60 minutes with honey, brown sugar, and not much else.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 0.75 cup Honey
• 0.5 cup Brown sugar
• 2.5 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 cup Ground almonds
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Lebkuchen spice
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 6 oz Dark chocolate

Steps

1. Warm the honey and brown sugar together until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool to lukewarm — hot honey kills the rise and toughens the crumb.
2. Stir in the eggs, then fold in the flour, almonds, spice blend (cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger), and baking soda. The dough will be soft and sticky; chill it 30 minutes so it handles.
3. Roll 1/4-inch thick on a floured surface and cut into hearts, stars, or rounds. Traditional Nürnberger lebkuchen are baked on edible wafer paper, which you can skip at home.
4. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes until just set — they firm as they cool, and overbaking makes them hard as ornaments.
5. Glaze half with melted dark chocolate and leave half plain, or pipe white icing messages on the hearts. Store airtight; they soften and improve over a week.

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