Lebkuchen are deliciously spiced, chewy cookie bars full of cinnamon and ginger flavor and topped with an orange ginger glaze. The spicy flavor develops over time, improving day by day if you can resist eating them!
I am an enthusiastic magnet for all things international. In high school I had the unlikely opportunity to befriend new immigrant classmates from Uganda.
Unlikely, because I went to high school in South Carolina at a time when the student body was definitely not multicultural. Before long, the Ugandan girls were members of my Senior Girl Scout troop and I was given lessons in wrapping a sari!
In college, long before Junior year abroad programs were common or popular, I immersed myself in Guatemalan culture for 9 months working in a Guatemala City daycare center and learning back strap loom weaving from an indigenous woman in a rural village.
In the years that followed I have met wonderful people and my life has been immeasurably enriched through friendship with individuals and families from Kenya, Peru, Japan, China, and Bosnia. I find it fascinating and so much fun to learn about cultures, languages, and ethnic foods.
Unintentionally, my “international magnet” has influenced my Monday Box posts. I have already posted recipes from Australia, Scotland, Russia, Italy, and Eastern Europe.
Though I am obviously drawn to multicultural cookies, a delicious care package recipe is a delicious care package recipe wherever it may come from.
This recipe for Lebkuchen more than qualifies, as the bars are both delicious and fabulous for short or long distance sharing.
We are sometimes seasonal eaters having nothing to do with seasonally available ingredients. Some people only eat chocolate mint at Christmas. (Don’t tell that to the Girl Scouts or the Andes Mints Company.)
Some people only eat red velvet around Valentine’s Day. (I personally could do without red velvet altogether.) So I know that sharing a classic German Christmas cookie in February will raise some eyebrows, but I have several good reasons.
First, I only recently tried Lebkuchen, several weeks after the Christmas baking frenzy had ended. Lebkuchen is like a moist and cakey gingerbread and I love gingerbread. Waiting until next December to write about these bars was not an option.
Second, Lebkuchen may be the quintessential care package cookie/bar. They not only stays fresh for months but it actually improves with time! If you like a chewy bar/cookie and you like cinnamon and ginger, you will LOVE Lebkuchen.
The original recipe comes from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle. I love Ms Boyle’s cookbooks because I find the recipes to be reliably delicious.
This one is no exception. I changed one thing in the directions because I admit to being on the overly cautious side when it comes to food poisoning potential.
The original directions call for letting the dough stand at room temperature overnight. With a raw egg in there, that just wasn’t happening at my house. I refrigerated my dough overnight then allowed it to come to room temperature before spreading it in the baking pan.
I don’t know if this had an effect on the ripening of the spices. I found the Lebkuchen bars were plenty spice-filled using the refrigeration method. I also changed the spices quite a bit for personal taste.
My version uses only cinnamon and ginger. If you are interested in trying the original traditional spices, the original recipe calls for 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger.
Whichever version you choose, these chewy bars, full of spicy warmth, will disappear from the cookie tin long before their freshness diminishes.
Military Care Package Note: Lebkuchen are the best bar I have found to make the long journey in care packages to deployed military. However, because they contain butter and honey, I do not recommend them for hot weather shipping and have not labeled them “desert safe”.
More German cookies
Marzipan Cookies are frequently found at German Christmas markets during the holiday season. In just a few minutes, with just a handful of ingredients, you can bake a batch of these chewy treats. Plus, they are gluten free.
Pfeffernusse are favorite cookies at Christmas time! These spiced cookies have a cake-like texture and are covered with a confectioners' sugar glaze.
Spekulatius are crunchy cookies often made with cookie molds. If you love Biscoff cookies, you will love these!
Marzipan Springerle are a cross between a cookie and candy. Unlike traditional springerle, these treats are pure almond marzipan embossed with beautiful designs.
Lebkuchen and a hot cup of coffee, tea, or chocolate might help you forget about winter, at least for a few moments! Share some bars in cold weather care packages for a special spiced treat.
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Lebkuchen Bars
Ingredients
Bar dough
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest finely grated (I used a microplane.)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sliced unblanched almonds optional
- ⅓ cup candied orange peel finely chopped, optional
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium low heat, make a sugar syrup by stirring together honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter. (Note: Though these ingredients don’t call for a large saucepan, you will eventually mix in the dry ingredients as well.)Continue stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger.
- Add the egg, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and (if using) almonds and orange peel to the cooled honey-sugar mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and stir to combine, forming a sticky dough.
- The lebkuchen dough may be left in the saucepan for refrigeration or transferred to a large bowl. Place one piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough and another piece over the top of the saucepan/bowl. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake: Heat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour a 9”x 9” baking pan.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
- Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the Lebkuchen is baking, in a medium bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Remove the pan of bars from the oven and place on a wire rack.
- Using a pastry brush or spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the warm bars.
- Let the Lebkuchen cool completely and the glaze set before cutting into bars and storing.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. These bars may be eaten immediately but the flavor improves over time and are best when eaten at least 1-2 weeks after baking.
Notes
- This traditional lebkuchen recipe makes an especially good care package treat, as it stays fresh (and even improves) for a long time.
- Though lebkuchen cookies and bars are a traditional holiday treat enjoyed during the Christmas season, these cinnamon ginger bars can be enjoyed all year!
- A variety of candied citrus peel, such as lemon peel, can also be used.
- Double wrap pairs of bars, bottoms together in plastic wrap then place in an airtight plastic container.
- Alternately, bars can be placed in an airtight container in layers separated by waxed paper or parchment paper.
- Use crinkled waxed paper on top if needed to prevent any movement inside the container during transit.
- Wrap the container in plastic wrap to improve airtightness.
Nutrition
Lois
Is it necessary to let dough sit overnight? What will happen if I don’t?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Lois. Lebkuchen dough sits overnight to allow the spices to "ripen" giving the dough flavor. Even after baking, the spiced flavor continues to become more pronounced over time. The overnight rest may also add to the chewiness of the bars as the flour absorbs moisture and glutens form. I haven't tried these bars without the overnight rest, but my guess is that they would mostly not be as flavorful. I hope this helps.
Sandy
I make these for my son-in-law who is from Germany and he absolutely loves them.
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Sandy. I am so excited that your son-in-law gives these bars his thumbs up!! That is high praise indeed. Thank you!
Nadia Cella Mueller
Hi I am wondering if its okay to use fresh grated ginger and if so, how much, and would it still store for a long period or should I freeze baked product with or without the glaze? Thank you.
Wendy Sondov
The recipe is written for powdered ginger and I haven't tried it with fresh ginger. The measurements would change and I don't know if baked ginger needs refrigeration. These bars (as written) can be frozen with or without the glaze, but taste best if left at room temperature and eaten after 1-2 weeks.
Marfa
Thank you for posting this recipe! I have been searching forever for exactly it. My old boyfriend's German mother would send him these in care packages and they were so unique in flavor and texture and very delicious. Can't wait to make them!
Thanks again!!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Marfa! You are so welcome. I hope these lebkuchen live up to the delicious bars you remember! They certainly are yummy in my opinion and are also great in care packages. 🙂 Happy baking!
Ciel
Grateful to find a Lebkuchen lover! I am with you....if I never ever had red velvet anything I would be a happy camper. I have no need for red food color by the bottleful!
But Lebkuchen? This is another story!
I cannot wait to try your recipe. I am in love with Lebkuchen and all it's spicy inerestingness, and this year I found some imported chocolate covered Made in Germany Lebkuchen at Marshalls, but in all honesty it is a tad lacking in "full" flavor. I am sure the homemade variety will fill that lack perfectly.
The Monday Box
Hi, Ciel! I do LOVE lebkuchen! :)There appear to be lots of Lebkuchen variations.....and I would be more than happy to sample them all! 🙂 Some are more like gingerbread, I am told. Probably your Marshalls variety was like that. This one is like a chewy bar cookie, less dry than packaged gingerbread for sure. Delicious. The best part of homemade is being able to adjust seasonings and flavors to your personal preference. I adjusted this one to suit my love of cinnamon and ginger. The original recipe called for 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger. If you keep generally to a similar total quantity of spice, you can tweek this recipe to your full flavor preference. Enjoy!! 🙂
Christine Nicewonger
I'm making these now. But my dough is all gooey. Isn't it supposed to be like a kneading dough? I guess I'll find out in the morning when I bake em. Smells amazing, though!!
themondaybox
No worries, Christine! This is more of a batter than a dough. I had to go back and read the recipe to be sure (I haven't made these yet this season, but will be very soon!). The batter/dough is supposed to be gooey (I call it sticky in the recipe) and is spread with a spatula, like brownie batter, into the pan. Please let me know how they turn out and remember that the flavor continues to get even better after a few days!
Christine Nicewonger
I just read it again, too and seen the "sticky". Must have mised it yesterday 😉 I'm German, so I know all about Lebkuchen 😀 I'm about to make another "authentic German" recipe after I'll put yours in the oven. Can't wait for the smell to fill my house 🙂
themondaybox
Christine, is the authentic German version more like a gingery bread and less like a lebkuchen brownie? That sounds wonderful. I need to find a recipe for that! I LOVE the smells and flavors of lebkuchen! I had never had any until last year and now I am addicted! I hope you enjoy this apparently "Americanized" version. I thought is was amazing. 🙂
shannon
i'm sure you know by now that my cravings are NEVER limited to specific times of year, and i'll eat a spicy, gingerbready thing whenever: probably my favorite flavor of thing, be it cookie or cake, etc. and i love trying baked goods that come from other countries! i'm guilty of being super-enthusiastic (read: nosy) about trying things i've never heard of before, just to know what they taste like. you and i would make a good team. 🙂
themondaybox
The first post I ever read of yours, Shannon, was your hamentashen thesis. 🙂 I connected immediately to your commendable (if not a little crazed) determination to master those goofy little Jewish pastries, whose tendency to explode in the oven would have scared off a less adventurous soul! I can count on your posts to teach me about weird (and often wonderful) ingredients, involved cookbook recipes made totally manageable, and fascinating tid bits of information that you discovered while researching. Thanks. I agree, we would make a good team. 🙂
p.s. Try these bars. You will love them!