Lebkuchen are the spiced German Christmas cookie reimagined with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, and warm citrus zest. Cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg perfume the dough before a honey and coconut milk glaze seals each cookie in a sweet, sticky shell. Thirty fragrant cookies that taste like the holiday market.
MAKES 30 COOKIES
Ingredients
1¼ cups unblanched hazelnuts, toasted and cooled
1 cup (240 ml) unblanched whole almonds, toasted and cooled
¾ cup palm sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons (45 ml) grated fresh orange zest
2 tablespoons (30 ml) grated fresh lemon zest
1½ cups almond flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) cacao powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (90 ml) coconut oil, softened
¾ cup palm sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Glaze
1 cup (240 ml) honey
¼ cup coconut milk
Preparation
1.В В Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Process the toasted nuts, palm sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg together into a fine meal using a food processor (about 30 to 60 seconds). Add the orange and lemon zest and continue to process until combined (about 15 seconds).
2.В В Whisk the flour, cacao powder, and salt together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and the palm sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, until combined, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3.В В Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture, beating until combined (about 30 seconds). Mix in the ground nut mixture until just incorporated (the bowl will be very full).
4.В В Working with two tablespoons at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about two inches apart.
5.В В Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown, and the centers are still soft and puffy with tiny cracks (13 to 18 minutes), switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. (The cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.)
6.В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, using a freshly lined baking sheet.
Making the Glaze
When the cookies are cool, mix the honey and coconut milk together in a medium bowl until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the glaze over the tops of the cookies and let sit about 10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips
- Toast the almonds and hazelnuts fully and let them cool before processing — warm nuts turn to butter in the food processor instead of fine meal.
- The bowl will look dangerously full when the nut mixture goes in. Fold patiently with a spatula; the dough firms as it comes together.
- Let the glaze set ten minutes before serving or stacking — it's thin when brushed but firms into the classic lebkuchen shell.
- These cookies are meant to look cracked and slightly underdone in the middle; that's the texture of a proper lebkuchen, not a mistake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make lebkuchen ahead?
They're famously better with age. Bake them up to a week ahead and store in an airtight tin — the spices mellow and deepen every day.
What can I use instead of hazelnuts?
More almonds work fine, or walnuts for a slightly bitter edge that stands up to the honey glaze and warm spices.
Can I skip the glaze?
You can — the cookies are spiced enough to stand alone. But the honey glaze is traditional and adds the signature sweet finish.
How do I store them?
Airtight at room temperature for two weeks. Layer them with parchment so the glaze doesn't stick the cookies together.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1. В В Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Process the toasted nuts, palm sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg together into a fine meal using a food processor (about 30 to 60 seconds).
- Add the orange and lemon zest and continue to process until combined (about 15 seconds). 2. В В Whisk the flour, cacao powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and the palm sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, until combined, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. 3. В В Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture, beating until combined (about 30 seconds).
- Mix in the ground nut mixture until just incorporated (the bowl will be very full). 4. В В Working with two tablespoons at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about two inches apart. 5. В В Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown, and the centers are still soft and puffy with tiny cracks (13 to 18 minutes), switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. (The cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.) 6. В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining dough, using a freshly lined baking sheet. Making the Glaze When the cookies are cool, mix the honey and coconut milk together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the glaze over the tops of the cookies and let sit about 10 minutes before serving.
