Do I need the oblaten wafers under lebkuchen?

No. The thin wafers keep the sticky dough from spreading on market baking sheets and make the cookies easy to move, but parchment paper and a cold, well rested dough do the same job at home. If you do use wafers, press each dough round gently onto one before baking and trim nothing.

Why is my lebkuchen dough still too sticky to roll after chilling?

Honey doughs stay softer than butter doughs, and a warm kitchen undoes the chill quickly. Shape the cookies with damp hands instead of rolling, and chill the filled trays for 15 minutes before baking. If the dough still smears after a full night of rest, work in one tablespoon of flour, no more.

How long do lebkuchen actually keep?

In a sealed tin at room temperature they keep four to six weeks and improve for the first two. Keep them away from heat and from crisp cookies, which they will soften. For longer storage, freeze the baked and glazed cookies for up to 3 months and thaw them in the closed tin overnight.

Can I make the lebkuchen spice blend in a bigger batch?

Yes, and it is worth doing. The proportions in this recipe scale cleanly: multiply everything by four and you have about three quarters of a cup of blend, enough for several batches of cookies plus spiced drinks all season. Stored in a sealed jar away from light, it stays lively for about a year.

My lebkuchen came out hard. Can I rescue the tin?

Usually, yes. Lay a slice of fresh apple or soft bread on the parchment above the cookies, close the tin, and wait 24 hours. The cookies draw in moisture and soften noticeably. Replace the apple slice if you need a second day, and next time pull the tray a minute earlier.

Lebkuchen, Soft German Christmas Cookies With Honey

Ingredients

Scale

3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little more for shaping
1 cup finely ground almonds (almond flour)
2 tablespoons lebkuchen spice blend (see note)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup finely chopped candied orange peel
1 cup powdered sugar (for the lemon glaze)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (for the lemon glaze)
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional, for the chocolate dip)

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Instructions

Mix the spice blend first: 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground anise seed. Set aside 2 tablespoons for the dough and store the rest in a sealed jar.
Put the honey, brown sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves into a smooth, glossy syrup, about 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the syrup cool for 10 minutes.
Whisk the egg, orange juice, and orange zest into the cooled syrup until the mixture is even and shiny.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, the 2 tablespoons of spice blend, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir the chopped candied orange peel through the dry mixture so the pieces are coated and stay separate.
Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a sturdy spoon until a thick, sticky dough forms and no dry flour remains. The dough will look too soft; that is correct at this stage.
Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a flat disk, wrap it well, and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With lightly damp hands, roll the cold dough into balls of about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Place them 2 inches apart on the sheets and flatten each gently to a round about 1/2 inch thick.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, one sheet at a time, until the edges look set and the centers still seem slightly soft. Leave the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.
For the lemon glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice into a smooth, slowly dripping glaze and brush it over the warm cookies. Let the glaze set for about 1 hour. For the chocolate finish, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil, dip the bottom of each cooled cookie, and set them chocolate side up on parchment until firm.
Layer the finished cookies in a tin with parchment between the layers and rest them at least 3 days before serving. They are good on day three, better at one week, and at their best around two weeks.

Author: Chef Rita
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 118
Sodium: 58
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Protein: 2 g
Cholesterol: 11