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If there was one thing my friends, brothers and I were looking forward to, it was the release of Lebkuchen and Pfeffernüsse in stores. These gingerbreads glazed with sugar or chocolate, in small shapes such as pretzel, heart, star, moon, shook our childhood. Living in the US I hadn’t found any so I decided to make some, and it’s been a must have ever since. Between the cooking preparation that fills my apartment with the good smells of spices and their comforting taste combined with the softness and crunchiness of these biscuits: my mouth is watering just thinking about it! This recipe is somewhat the result of a few years of trying to recreate this flavor of my childhood and the funniest thing is that in the end there is no honey in this gingerbread, the consistency is given by the chopped candied fruit!
I hope these cookies take you back to your childhood like I did. One bite and here I am again in my sweet Moselle or Germany: oh sweet family memories 🙂
Print the recipe
Candied fruit lebkuchen (without honey)
The gingerbreads of my childhood: nothing reminds me of Christmas at home more than this sweet scent of spices and the softness of these biscuits 🙂
| Preparation time | 1 Now |
| Cooking time | 15 minutes |
| Waiting time | 10 hours |
Instructions
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In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients: flour, yeast, almond powder, hazelnut powder, salt and spices,
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In a food processor, chop the candied ginger and dates,
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Add and mix the marzipan and apricot jam until a paste forms. To soften the marzipan, heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds in a separate small bowl.
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Add the eggs and sugar until you obtain a smooth consistency.
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Add this preparation to the dry doughs,
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Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. You can leave the dough in the refrigerator for up to two days.
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Preheat the oven to 160°C,
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Line your baking trays with baking paper,
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Form dough balls using 2 tablespoons or a measuring cup. Don’t flatten the balls and make sure you leave 5cm between each one.
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Place 3 peeled almonds or 3 pine nuts in the center of each biscuit,
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Bake for 15 minutes until the biscuits are golden. Don’t cook them anymore, even if they look very soft when they come out of the oven.
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Transfer to a rack,
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Once completely cooled, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring each time.
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Dip each gingerbread in the chocolate and let the chocolate rest in the refrigerator. It usually takes an hour.
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Once the chocolate has solidified, prepare the sugar and cream icing;
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Brush each cookie with icing and let it set.
Notes
- *Instead of crystallized candied ginger you can use candied orange and/or lemon peel.
- Sure, the frosting makes these cupcakes super sweet, but the frosting helps preserve these cookies for a long time, keeping them super soft. I wouldn’t skip this step 😉
- For the frosting, make it however you like: just chocolate, just sugar or nothing! You can also use colored royal icing; the possibilities are endless. If you prefer a sugar-only glaze, I recommend reducing the amount of brown sugar in the recipe to 75 g instead of 100 g.
- You can also cook them on sheets of unleavened bread (Back Oblaten). In fact, my favorite combination is a base of unleavened bread and a dark chocolate coating ^^
⬆️🇫🇷
If there was one thing my brother friends were looking forward to like Santa Claus for the holidays, it was definitely the Lebkuchen et Pfeffernüsse from our local stores. These chocolate or sugar glazed gingerbreads came in all shapes and colors: pretzels, hearts, stars, moons, they definitely remind me of sweet childhood memories. When I lived in Boston I missed them so much that I tried to recreate them, now I do them every year! Between the prep and baking that fills your home with a little wonder, their amazing warm spice flavor and this moist center and crispy edges – well, it tastes like my little heaven! The funniest thing is that this gingerbread recipe doesn’t even contain honey, the moist texture and flavor all come from the candied fruit and apricot jam!
I really hope you will love these biscuits as much as I do, they take me right back to my sweet Moselle or Germany: dear sweet family memories 🙂
Print the recipe
Candied fruit gingerbread
My favorite German Christmas treats! The holiday season wouldn’t be the same without these delicious spiced cookies 🙂
| Preparation time | 1 Now |
| Cooking time | 15 minutes/tray |
Instructions
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In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients: flour, yeast, almond and hazelnut flour, salt and spices,
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In your food processor, blend the candied ginger and dates,
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Add and whisk in the softened marzipan and apricot jam to combine. To soften the marzipan, place it in the microwave for 20 seconds in a separate small bowl.
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Add the eggs and brown sugar and blend
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Combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients,
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Transfer the dough to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator overnight. You can actually leave it for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
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When ready, preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F),
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Line your baking trays with baking paper,
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Using an ice cream scoop or quarter cup, scoop the dough onto a few baking sheets, don’t flatten the scoop, and be sure to leave space between them, about 3 inches apart.
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Place 3 blanched almonds or 3 pine nuts next to each other on top of each cookie – completely optional.
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Bake until golden, this should take about 15 minutes,
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Transfer to a cooling rack,
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Once completely cooled, melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.
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Dip the bottom of each biscuit and let it sit until it sets – you can pop them in the fridge if you’re in a hurry, it usually takes 1 hour to set completely.
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Once the chocolate has solidified, prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the milk,
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Brush the cooled biscuits and leave to rest until solidified.
Notes
- *Instead of candied ginger you can also use candied lemon and/or candied orange.
- Sure, the glaze adds a lot of sweetness to this Lebkuchen, but it also helps keep it nice and moist for a good while, so I wouldn’t skip it.
- For the icing you can do whatever you prefer, dipping them completely in the chocolate, just in the sugar icing, without the icing. You can also frost them with colored royal icing. The possibilities are endless!
- You can also bake them on top of Back Oblaten (a kind of super thin wafer)
My favorite combination is actually on a wafer and completely covered in dark chocolate ^^
