German Gingerbread Cookies (Lebkuchen)
Traditional German gingerbread cookies get a unique twist with orange glaze! Citrus compliments the warm spices in these soft Lebkuchen.
Ingredients
Cookies
- ⅓ cup unsulphured dark molasses
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed into the measuring cup)
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (from about one medium orange)
- 2 large eggs
Glaze
- 2 cupa powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoon orange zest (from about half a medium orange)
- 2 tablespoon orange juice (from about half a medium orange)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on low heat, add the honey, molasses, brown sugar, and butter. Stir often and be careful not to let the mixture boil. Keep stirring until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and orange zest.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric whisk, add the flour mixture then the butter mixture and mix on low speed to form a dense crumbly mixture, like wet sand.
- Add the two eggs and mix on low speed until the eggs are mixed in fully, and it forms a dense cookie dough. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or spoon to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Cover the mixing bowl with a plate or plastic cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight, for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Option 1: To cut out shapes, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.Option 2: Scoop and shape 2-inch diameter balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet. Gently press them down with the back of a spoon to be about 3 to 3.5 inches in diameter.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are puffed up slightly, dry on top, and slightly golden on the bottom.
- Gently transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven.
- To decorate with the glaze, in a bowl mix the powdered sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and salt with a fork or whisk. Spoon a tablespoon of glaze onto each cookie. Add any optional toppings like sliced almonds or candied citrus peel while the glaze is still soft. Allow the cookies to sit for at least 30 minutes, so the glaze can harden. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Instead of all the spices, you could use 1½ Tablespoons of Lebkuchengewürz, which is a spice blend often found in German stores, especially around the holidays.
- Lebkuchen are traditionally decorated with icing glaze, chopped or whole nuts like almonds, or candied fruit like citrus peels. You could also leave them plain, or decorate them with an egg wash, melted chocolate, or an elaborate design of royal icing.
- If you don’t have molasses, or if you want to bake more traditional German Lebkuchen, replace the molasses with the same amount of additional honey.
- For a traditional white glaze, don’t add orange zest or orange juice. Just add hot water or milk to the powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 209mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 225IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
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