Elisenlebkuchen (Nuremberg-Style Soft Gingerbread Cookies)
In short: Soft, chewy spiced cookies made with ground almonds, hazelnuts, honey and candied peel on edible wafers, with a sugar glaze. It takes about 55 min in total and makes 12 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Resting
- 1 h
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 300 kcal
Elisenlebkuchen are the finest German gingerbread: soft, moist cookies with a high share of ground nuts and no flour, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. They bake on thin edible wafers and are usually finished with a sugar glaze. Nuremberg is famous for them, and this version follows the same style. They taste best after a week in a tin, when the spices have settled.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment and set the 12 wafers on it with space between.
- Beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Beat in the honey.
- Mix the ground nuts, candied peel, lemon zest and all the spices in a bowl. Fold them into the egg mixture to make a thick, sticky batter. Let it rest for 10 minutes so it firms up.
- Spoon about 60 g (a generous 3 tablespoons) of batter onto each wafer. Smooth into a low dome with a wet knife, keeping it just inside the wafer's edge.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden at the edges and firm to the touch but still soft inside. Do not overbake.
- Cool completely on a rack. Stir the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick glaze and brush it over the cookies. Let the glaze dry for 1 hour.
- Store in a tin lined with parchment. Leave for a week before eating, if you can wait.
Tips
- Look for baking wafers, called Oblaten, in German or specialty shops. Without them, bake on parchment, though the cookies will be a little harder to lift off.
- Take the cookies out while they still feel soft. They firm up as they cool, and overbaked ones turn dry.
Questions and answers
What are the wafers under Lebkuchen for?
They are thin edible discs made from starch and water. They stop the sticky dough from clinging to the tray and are eaten along with the cookie.
How long do Elisenlebkuchen keep?
In an airtight tin they keep 3 to 4 weeks, and they soften and improve after the first week. They also freeze well for 3 months.
Do Elisenlebkuchen contain flour?
Traditional Elisenlebkuchen contain little or no flour and a high share of ground nuts. This version uses none, which gives a soft, chewy texture.
How long does it take to make Elisenlebkuchen (Nuremberg-Style Soft Gingerbread Cookies)?
About 55 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Elisenlebkuchen (Nuremberg-Style Soft Gingerbread Cookies)?
About 300 kcal per serving, with 7 g of protein, 32 g of carbohydrates and 16 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 300 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 28 g |
| Sodium | 20 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
