I’ve made it – 12 recipes of advent for Christmas 2021 completed just in time! At one point I didn’t think I’d get there, but somehow I have ended with plenty of recipes on hold until next Christmas! Wishing all my readers a very Happy, safe and healthy Christmas. Thank you for all the comments, views and interaction, and making it all seem worthwhile 🙂
I’ve wanted to recreate these traditional German gingerbread cookies for a while, as to me they seem extremely festive and quite exotic. I haven’t eaten many in my life so I’m hoping this is an authentic recreation to add to the festive repertoire. We found them to be how one would imagine an old-fashioned gingerbread cookie to be, which is no bad thing. Lebkuchen often have a heavy dosing of cloves but I didn’t have any in the cupboard, so I’ve opted for a touch of mixed spice for an extra Christmas vibe.
You can ice with either the water/lemon icing that hardens to a crisp crust or with melted chocolate, or maybe both to please all tastes?
Lebkuchen
(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)
Makes about 12
125g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
50g soft brown sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp mixed spice
2 tsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp flavourless oil
1 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
70ml dairy-free milk
For the glaze:
50g icing sugar
1 tbsp water or lemon juice
And/or:
50g dark dairy-free chocolate, melted
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade fan/180 degrees centigrade non-fan. Line a cookie sheet with non-stick parchment.
- Mix together the first eight dry ingredients. Add the oil, syrup and milk and milk to form a soft dough.
- Roll out to 1cm thick and use festive cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place spaced apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
- When cool, mix together the glaze and/or melt the chocolate and coat the cookies.
