Small round honey-cocoa Lebkuchen cookies with thin lemon icing and one broken cookie showing the spiced crumb

German Lebkuchen Gingerbread Cookies

German lebkuchen gingerbread cookies blend honey, cocoa, orange zest, and five warm spices under a thin pasteurized egg-white lemon icing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 12

Cooling and Icing-Set Time 1

Total Time 1 42

Servings cookies

Calories 90

Equipment

1 Kitchen Scale for the printed metric ingredients
1 set Measuring Spoons for spices, vanilla, zest, baking powder, and lemon juice
1 Large Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for the wet mixture and finished dough
1 Medium Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for whisking the dry ingredients
1 Electric Hand Mixer for creaming the butter and sugar and adding eggs
1 Silicone Spatula for folding and scraping the dough
1 Fine Grater for the orange zest
1 Small Cookie Scoop for dividing 30 small dough balls
2 Baking Sheets for baking the small round cookies
as needed Parchment Paper for lining the baking sheets
1 Oven for baking at 350°F
1 pair Oven Mitts for handling hot baking sheets
1 Wire Cooling Rack for cooling the cookies completely
1 Small Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for the uncooked lemon icing
1 Whisk for the dry mixture and smooth icing
1 Offset Spatula for applying a thin icing layer

Ingredients

Lebkuchen Dough

1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
250 grams all-purpose flour
40 grams butter softened
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground anise
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
60 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
100 grams honey
1 teaspoon orange zest

Lemon Icing

200 grams powdered sugar
1 pasteurized egg white
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

Mix and Bake the Lebkuchen

Beat the softened butter and brown sugar in a large stainless steel mixing bowl until evenly blended.
40 grams butter, 60 grams brown sugar
Beat in the large egg and egg yolk. Mix in the vanilla extract, honey, and orange zest until the mixture is even.
1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 100 grams honey, 1 teaspoon orange zest
In a medium stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, salt, unsweetened cocoa powder, ground anise, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground cardamom, and baking powder until evenly distributed.
250 grams all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground anise, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon baking powder
Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture only until no flour pockets remain. Portion into 30 small balls and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets with room between them.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before icing.

Ice the Cookies

Whisk the powdered sugar, pasteurized egg white, and lemon juice in a small stainless steel mixing bowl until smooth. Do not substitute an unpasteurized egg white in this uncooked icing.
200 grams powdered sugar, 1 pasteurized egg white, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Spread a thin layer of icing over each cooled round cookie. Leave the cookies undisturbed until the icing is dry and set before stacking or serving.

Notes

Use the printed metric quantities. Shape 30 small round cookies and bake for 12 minutes at 350°F. The uncooked icing requires pasteurized egg white; let it set fully before stacking.

Nutrition