Soft Gingerbread Cookies (Lebkuchen) with Lemon Glaze and Chocolate Dip Recipe
Traditional German Lebkuchen are soft, spiced gingerbread cookies bursting with warm flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. These chewy treats are enriched with molasses, honey, almonds, and candied fruit, then glazed with a tangy lemon icing and dipped in rich dark chocolate for a festive finish. Perfect for holiday baking, this recipe makes soft, aromatic cookies with a delightful lemon glaze and chocolate-dipped base.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight chilling)
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes per batch
- Total Time: Overnight chilling + 1 hour active time
- Yield: Approximately 40-50 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 3–1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1–1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1–1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup molasses (table molasses preferred)
- 1/2 cup almonds (chopped or slivered)
- 1/2 cup candied mixed fruit and peel
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 1 large egg white (beaten till frothy)
- 1–1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
Chocolate Coating
- 4 cups dark chocolate (chocolate wafers or candy melts recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the Lebkuchen cookies.
- Make the Dough: In a large food processor, combine all dough ingredients, including flour, spices, baking soda, eggs, sugar, honey, molasses, almonds, candied fruit, and citrus zests. Process on the dough setting until well mixed and nuts and fruit are finely chopped. Scrape sides and pulse again to fully incorporate flour.
- Chill the Dough: Transfer the sticky dough into a bowl, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight. This resting time enhances flavor development and dough firmness.
- Shape the Cookies: Remove half of the chilled dough and place it on a well-floured surface. Sprinkle flour on top and roll into a long rope around 1-inch thick. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Form Small Rounds: Shape each dough piece into a small round cookie approximately the size of a walnut or smaller if preferred. Arrange cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving enough space between them for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and their tops have a slightly crackled appearance.
- Prepare Lemon Glaze: While the cookies bake, whisk together all glaze ingredients — beaten egg white, icing sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt — until smooth and well blended.
- Glaze the Hot Cookies: Brush 3-5 warm cookies at a time with the lemon glaze using a pastry brush. Let the heat soften the glaze before gently spreading it evenly over each cookie’s surface.
- Set the Glaze: Allow the lemon glaze to cool and set for approximately 20 minutes, so it attaches firmly to the cookie tops.
- Melt the Chocolate: Melt the dark chocolate wafers over a double boiler or in microwave bursts of 30 seconds, stirring between each interval until smooth and silky.
- Dip Cookies in Chocolate: Dip the base of each glazed cookie into the melted dark chocolate. Place them on parchment-lined trays to cool and set the chocolate coating.
- Store Lebkuchen: Once set, store the Lebkuchen in sealed containers to maintain their freshness and softness.
Notes
- Refrigerating the dough overnight improves flavor and dough texture for easier handling.
- Dust your work surface and rolling pin liberally with flour to prevent sticking when shaping the dough ropes.
- Use good quality dark chocolate or candy melts for a smooth and glossy finish to the dipped cookies.
- Lemon glaze application is best done on freshly baked cookies to ensure easy spreading and absorption.
- Store the finished cookies in airtight containers at room temperature; they can last for up to 2 weeks and often improve in flavor over time.
- Adjust spice levels according to taste, increasing ginger or cloves for a stronger spiced flavor.
Keywords: Lebkuchen, Gingerbread Cookies, German Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Spiced Cookies, Molasses Cookies, Soft Gingerbread, Christmas Cookies
