Lebkuchen

If I could give this six stars I would. This is by far the best lebkuchen recipe you'll find online. I've made these every year since I found it and they are in many ways BETTER than the lebkuchen you'll find in Nuremberg. The ingredient list is extensive but totally worth the effort of gathering all the goodies that go in. These lebkuchen are dense, but soft and chewy. The ample spices, nuts and generous dried fruits make these a delicious flavor bomb. The dough will be VERY sticky and a little tricky to work with, but that is totally normal...these are not 'cookies' in the traditional American sense. Just make these per the recipe and they will come out fantastically. I'm glad that these omit the oblaten that is frequently on the bottom of real German lebkuchen...I find these to be dry and flavorless, taking away from the wonderful texture and flavor of the lebkuchen itself. Don't look any further for your lebkuchen recipe. The flavors are authentic, and the recipe is simple, producing predictable and consistent results.

Made this for a party and people LOVED it! However, making it is a bit of a mess and it almost destroyed my food processor. Also, I highly suggest making your own candied orange/ lemon peel for it. I also couldn't find blanched whole almonds so I used sliced almonds instead. If you don't have time to refrigerate, just stick the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. Good luck!

I followed this recipe exactly. I was surprised by how thin the batter is. They spread out a great deal in the oven, so for the second batch I used a scant 1/4 of batter per cookie. The end result was fluffy, but chewy, and wonderfully spiced. I am making them again tomorrow.

Great recipe...not Nurenburger Lebkuchen...but really good. Do your self a favour...find some oblates and use them. 79mm uses 2 TBS of dough. They won't stick with oblates... Tsk tsk Martha for missing a crucial item.

I lived in Germany as a young child and had fond memories of Lebkuchen. It took me a long time to rediscover them as an adult and only in the store bought packs at Trader Joes and World Market which are not so fresh tasting. This is a great recipe and was easy to make once I found all the ingredients. The cookies taste just as i remember from when I was 5 years old in Germany. I glazed them with melted dark chocolate. They were delicious. My parents loved them too.

Greetings from Germany! Those Lebkuchen taste absolutely authentic. I'm using the recipe for four years already. But there must have been a mixup with the baking time. 14 minutes aren't enough. I always bake them 40 minutes - rotating half way through.

If you form it into a bar in using wax paper in a loaf pan and refrigerate, you can cut into slices and bake. Makes it less sticky.

I don't know if anyone is still monitoring this recipe, but here is some info. I have not tried this recipe, but my own recipe from Austria (probably stolen from a German) is very similar in measurement of all ingredients except it calls for 2-3/4 cups of flour. Quite a difference.

I just saw my comment from 12/21/09 about the flour. I should have updated it. Yes, the dough is outrageously sticky, but the cookies turned out perfectly! Raves from everyone; I'm making them again this year.

I had to add and extra 1/2 cup flour which, after sitting in the fridge over night produced the perfect batter.Seems there has been a typo or something in the original recipe.You will have a very think, sticky 'batter' something like choc chip dough but softer. I also added 1/2 tsp mixed spice, extra 1/2tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp white pepper to make it more like the real German ones we get here in the UK.Hope this helps! Happy baking. Heather

I have to agree with Grady412 about the amount of flour....Maybe adding a 1/4 cup of flour to make it an even cup might help. No one else has said anything though....just go through the list of ingredients carefully and be sure that you have all included. These recipes have proven to be in error from time to time. mykele

Has anyone found the amount of flour called for inaccurate? I've mixed everything up and have it refrigerating, but it's the consistency of cake batter. Anyone?

Lebkuchen!

Delicious! My German husband totally approves of this recipe! Want to make

Delicious! My German husband totally approves of this recipe! Want to make

This recipe does, indeed, make 17 cookies - like two lots of 8 and one to munch on - a generous baker's dozen :) Candied peel is found in the baking aisle in England - its readily available here as it is used in lots on British desserts. If you're shopping in America I am not sure where exactly you'll find it - probably next to the glace cherries. It can be made by boiling lemon/lime/orange/tangerine peels in syrup for ages until it "candies" - a bit like making marmalade. Good luck!

My mom is German and I've had lots Lebkuchen. This is an excellent recipe. The only issue that I had was that the bottoms were sticky. In Germany, they use a wafer called an "Oblaten" as the base (they're related to communion wafers, coming from the word "oblation"). These are often sold at German specialty stores, but they can be hard to find. I turned mine over and let them dry overnight. The larger size is more authentic, but you can make them smaller to get more cookies.

My mother used to make lebkuchen years ago when I was a child. She put her finished cookies in an air tight container with either a half an apple or a half of an orange and the cookies could be kept for quite some time without drying out. I preferred the half an orange as it seemed to give the cookies a good flavor. Joe

This says it makes 17 - is that 17 cookies? It seems like an odd number for a cookie recipe. Has anyone made this recipe and can verify how many it makes? I just want to make sure I guage it right in case I need to double it or something.

I wanted to make some Lebkuchen this year and looked all over the grocery store last night for the citron (candied fruit peels). I assumed it would be w/ the other dried fruits, etc. in teh produce area. Does anyone know where to et it or how to make it?