Lebkuchen

[kimbob]

Has anyone made lebkuchen? I've bought it from europeandeli and it's delicious. I prefer the iced over the chocolate covered. Kaf has a recipe that I may try. Any recipes?

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[chocomouse]

I tried making it after we moved back from Germany, but it wasn't very good, so I do not have a recipe to share. I've never seen the chocolate version. For me, that would not be lebkuchen. KAF recipes are almost always pretty good, maybe needing a few small tweaks - I think you should try that recipe. I agree that it's delicious!

[BakerAunt]

I think that Dorie Greenspan has a recipe in her cookies baking book.

I suspect that there is variation depending on the recipe and where it originated in Germany. I've found that to be true for Pfeffernusse.

[Mike Nolan]

If anything, lebkuchen recipes may have more variation in them than pfeffernusse, some of them have a thin wheat-based wafer underneath them, some are frosted or coated with chocolate, the fruit in them varies, too.

[Italiancook]

This was the first time I'd heard of lebkuchen. I looked up the recipe on KABC, but it's not something I'd try. I don't like ginger. But it was fun learning about a new (to me) recipe.

[kimbob]

Cool that you lived in Germany, chocomouse. I bet you went to the Christmas markets. That's something I'd like to visit. There are a lot of recipes online, some use honey, some no flour, almonds, hazelnuts, different spices, fruits, wafers, etc. I think I'll start with kaf. I love gingerbread and spice type cakes. Maybe this weekend while it's snowing. Should go well with mulled wine! 😊

[kimbob]

I'll check out Dorie, too, Bakeraunt. Thanks!

[chocomouse]

We stayed a week in Nuremburg and visited the Kristkindlemarkt there every night. So festive and old-fashioned. I remember ordering that special wafer-like paper online when I made the lebkuchen; it was always on the bottom of the bars we bought in Germany, but not absolutely necessary. Gluhwein is the perfect pairing with the lebkuchen on a cold snowy night.

Kimbob, I don't recall a dominant ginger flavor; it was mostly citrus. As long as you included plenty of other spices, I think you could just omit the ginger, or at least, greatly reduce the amount.

[BakerAunt]

I thought that I had seen Dorie's recipe in an email, so I looked. Here it is:

https://food52.com/recipes/65857-leckerli

Here is her complete discussion:

https://food52.com/blog/18541-the-15th-century-christmas-cookie-patisseries-make-all-year

[BakerAunt]

Lebkuchen and Leckerli appear to be interchangeable as names. I've actually made Leckerli from a McCall's Cooking School magazine (at the moment, I cannot find those) about 30 years ago. The recipe called for cutting them out as hearts, and oh, it was hard to work with that dough, but the results were stunning. I took them to a book group I belonged to at the time, and people were very impressed.

I have considered making Dorie's recipe (same one that is in her book), as it is one of the few non-butter recipes. I was deterred by not having the Grand Marnier--and not wanting to spend $20 for a small bottle of it. It could probably be left out.

[Mike Nolan]

Check with a good liquor store, they may have some miniature bottles of Grand Marnier. A lot more expensive per ounce, but better than letting a bigger bottle sit around for years.

[kimbob]

Just made a bottle of gluhwein and drinking a cup. 😋 I've been googling and did see Dorie's recipe for leckerli and thought it looked like lebkuchen. Thanks for the link, Bakeraunt. Saves me typing for it again. There were also recipes for Lebkuchengewurz (lebkuchen spices). I have all the ingredients plus crystallized ginger which I plan to use. Still had a little gingerbread dough in the freezer and sliced it for cookies. Thanks all for your input. Supposed to snow tonight, monday, tuesday. Gonna try a lebkuchen one day.

[kimbob]

Today I made a pound cake. Tomorrow lebkuchen. I found this recipe online and already made the spice for it. Didn't have any coriander, though. Put in a penzey's order so I'll have it for next time. I'm not going to use the wafers but rather put them on the silpat. The recipe looks pretty good. We'll see.

https://www.daringgourmet.com/traditional-nuernberger-elisenlebkuchen-german-lebkuchen

[kimbob]

I made 2 batches of the lebkuchen and put the rest of the batter in the fridge for overnight. They are good but not like the Wickkein ones I got online from the europeandeli. Since I have no idea what they taste like in the German Christmas market maybe chocomouse can help me out here. A couple things - they weren't spicy enough so I would double or triple the spices next time. They were also too hazelnutty tasting. I would use more almond meal and less hazelnut meal. Texture was good. I added more spice to the dough in the fridge so I'll see how that comes out tomorrow. I haven't put any sugar glaze on yet. I'm gonna grind up some crystalized ginger and add it to the dough, too, for tomorrow. Definitely needs more spice.

[kimbob]

Threw 1/2 cup flour, milk, 1/4 tsp baking powder and more spice into the leftover dough. Cookies came out thicker, cakier, spicier, better! I like lebkuchen with some flour in it so if I make this recipe again that's what I'll do. And at Christmas I'll order the wicklein lebkuchen!! 😂

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