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Lebkuchen German Gingerbread Cookies

Introduction & method

Lebkuchen have become very popular at Christmas time over the last few years. But they are so easy to make and so delicious you can make them any time.

 Lebkuchen German Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Make the Dough


Cut the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. You should end up with a mixture that looks like coarse sand. Mix in the ground almonds, the sugar, the spices, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg yolks and golden syrup together in a separate bowl. If the syrup is very thick and hard to whisk, you can soften it by placing it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. Mix the syrup and egg mixture into the flour mix. It will produce quite a firm dough but if you compress a handful of it it should hold together.

Make the Lebkuchen


Heat your oven to 160° Celsius (320° Fahrenheit) for a fan/convection/airfryer oven, or 180° Celsius (356° Fahrenheit) for a conventional one, or gas 4. Line a baking sheet with greasproof paper. Sprinkle some flour on your worktop, grab a golfball-sized chunk of dough and press it flat - it should be 1cm (about half an inch) thick. You can cut shapes out of it with cookie cutters if you wish. Arrange the lebkuchen on the baking sheet with plenty of space between them. Bake for 15 minutes but check them after 12 just in case they are cooking more quickly.

Finish the Lebkuchen


While the cookies are cooking, add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water to the icing sugar. Stir it to get a smooth paste. When the lebkuchen are baked, remove from the oven and let them cool a little. While they still warm, dip them face-down into the glaze and place on a wire rack to cool completely. If you want to be a bit fancy you can decorate them with piped icing, but that's completely optional.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Lebkuchen German Gingerbread Cookies on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info


DOUGH
 120 grams unsalted butter
 160 grams plain white (all-purpose) flour
 100 grams ground almonds
 70 grams demerara sugar
 1 tsp baking powder
 4 tsp ground ginger
 half a tsp ground cinnamon
 half a tsp ground cloves
 half a tsp salt
 2 egg yolks
 2 tbsp golden syrup
GLAZE
 100 grams icing sugar
 2 tbsp boiling water

UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Makes about 16 
Prep time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Total time: 25 minutes.