Traditional German Gingerbread Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What is German gingerbread called? ›

Lebkuchen (pronounced leyb-koo-kuh n) is a centuries-old German spiced treat traditionally baked during the winter holiday season. While lebkuchen is often translated to English as gingerbread, it's not exactly what most Americans envision when they think of gingerbread.

In Germany, when you think of Christmas, you think of Nuremberg Lebkuchen, the city's famous gingerbread. These sweet and spicy treats have been baked for more than 600 years and are loved by young and old alike.

Soft, moist and nutty German gingerbread was invented by medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers were recorded as early as 1296 in the city of Ulm and in 1395 in Nürnberg (Nuremberg).

My favorite way to eat these cookies is warm, just out of the oven, no glaze or frosting required. The cookie has a nice fluffy texture (not hard like some gingerbread) and a deep, satisfying spicy flavor.

This is a traditional Christmas treat, soft & chewy with many wonderful spices. Use your favourite cookie cutters to create an army of little men, a collection of hearts or a herd of reindeer! "Lebkuchen" (gingerbread) is also known as "Honigkuchen" (honeycake) in some parts of Germany.

Lebkuchenherzen, or gingerbread hearts, are popular in German outdoor markets such as Christmas markets, Oktoberfest, Kirmes, or Schutzenfest. They usually hang from ribbons and carry cute sayings in the center. Traditionally they are given to friends, sweethearts, or one's family to express one's feelings.

The making of these holiday cookies are a time-honored tradition in many families across the world. But, the one country that takes gingerbread making to a whole other level, especially for the holidays, is Germany.

Sold in cellophane bags and colorful tins, in cookie form and in larger cakes, Nuremberg's Lebkuchen has become part of German Christmas tradition. Roughly 80,000 tons are produced annually, most being consumed within Germany. Lebkuchen Schmidt, Nuremberg's most famous baker, has been producing gingerbread since 1601.

Our Chocolate Covered Lebkuchen are popular with a certain crowd, but some folks don't like the nuts and spices in these traditional German gingerbread cookies.

What does Lebkuchen mean in English? ›

noun. leb·​ku·​chen. ˈlāpˌküḵən. plural lebkuchen. : a Christmas cookie usually made with honey, brown sugar, almonds, candied fruit peel, and spices.

"The cookies are baked on a thin, edible wafer called oblaten. Oblaten are crisp, white wheat wafers that are available in specialty food shops. If you do not have a specialty food shop that handles oblaten, check with a local religious supply house.

Pfeffernusse and lebkuchen are both similarly flavored with honey and lots of warm baking spices but pfeffernusse are almost always small, rounded cookies coated with a powdered sugar glaze, while lebkuchen may be shaped like regular cookies or cut in bars and are generally glazed with chocolate.

Kekse and – as at this time of year they're more commonly referred to – Plätzchen are general German words for cookies.

Both are sweetened with a mixture of sugar and honey/syrup, flavoured with warm spices and often use the same technique to make the dough. The difference, as you may have guessed from the name, is the primary flavour. Whilst pure gingerbread uses only ground ginger, pfeffernüsse use a full quintet of spices.