● 250g plain flour
● 85g butter
● 85g ground almond
● 2 tsp ground ginger
● 1 tsp ground cinnamon
● 1 tsp ground cardamom
● 1 tsp baking powder
● ½ tsp ground cloves
● 1 tsp ground nutmeg
● ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
● 250ml clear honey
● A pinch of ground mace
For the decoration:
● 100g icing sugar
● 1-2 tbsp water
● Blanched sliced almonds (optional)
● 200g dark or milk chocolate, finely chopped (optional)
The history of lebkuchen, commonly referred to as German gingerbread, dates all the way back to the medieval era when they were made in monasteries. By the 16th century, production of lebkuchen developed rapidly around Nuremberg, which was at the intersection of major trade routes and therefore became a centre of the spice trade. Nuremberg bakers used the numerous exotic spices at their disposal to produce their iconic gingerbread, complete with nuts and sweetened with honey. Today, there are many different versions of lebkuchen and they are traditionally sold at German Christmas markets in decorative shapes, most notably hearts. Although they’re associated with Germany, variations of lebkuchen are also popular in Switzerland, Poland, Austria and Hungary.
01 Place a saucepan over low heat, pour in the honey and butter and stir until melted. In a mixing bowl, sift in the flour and then mix in the rest of the dry ingredients, including the ground spices.
02 Pour the melted honey and butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix everything together to make a sticky dough, shaping it into a ball. Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to cool for at least an hour, or even overnight.
03 Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan /gas mark six and prepare two baking trays lined with baking paper. If you can, dip your hands in some flour to make the next step easier.
04 Take small pieces of dough and roll them into equally sized balls. Gently flatten each one to form a disk, using either a rolling pin or your hands. Transfer the lebkuchen to the baking trays, making sure to leave space between them as they will spread in the oven.
05 Bake the lebkuchen for 10 to 15 minutes, before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. While the lebkuchen cools, it’s time to prepare the decoration (this is completely optional and you can leave your lebkuchen plain if you wish!).
06 For a sugar glaze, combine the icing sugar and water in a bowl until smooth. For a chocolate glaze, melt half of the chocolate in a glass bowl over a simmering saucepan of water. Remove from the heat and add in the rest of the chocolate until it has all melted.
07 Place the wire rack with the lebkuchen on a baking sheet or tray to catch the drippings. Dip the lebkuchen into your chosen glaze and then place them back on the rack to set. If you want to top the lebkuchen with blanched almonds, do it while the glaze is still wet.
08 If you’re feeling a little bit fancy, you can use both glazes to decorate your lebkuchen. Start by dipping one half of the lebkuchen into the sugar glaze and leave to set, before dipping the remaining half in the chocolate glaze. Serve your festive sweet treats alongside the hot beverage of your choice!