Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2012

I had no problems with the dough. Just make sure it's really cold and you use lots of flour. Honestly it wasn't harder than cutouts for me. However the icing was another issue. Must have let it get too hot because it turned hard as a rock soon as I added the powdered sugar. I'll try to find another recipe that will give me that outer shell I remember. The reason for the 4 stars is that this was a little chewier than I remember as a kid. Still close though

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

denisegs

Reviewed: Sep. 13, 2011

Very nice. My friend gave me some Lebkuchen last year's Christmas and I've always wanted to recreate them. These were nice and the spices were perfect. I love the texture. For me, I kept the batter in a bowl overnight in the fridge and the next day, took out half-tablespoonfuls of batter, rolled it up into a ball, place it on some parchment paper, layered another sheet over it and pressed it flat with the underside of a glass until it's 1/4 inch thick. Then, I slowly peel off the layer of parchment between the glass and the cookie dough. Not much of a mess. Will definitely make again.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Faeyren

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Aug. 6, 2011

Very good. My German colleagues loved them and want me to try their family recipe here in the states.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MonkeyDaddy

Reviewed: Jan. 6, 2011

Lovely recipe, one of my favorite cookies of all time. I've had great success baking spoonful drop cookies and dipping them in tempered chocolate.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

jgcrawfo

Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2010

These are amazing! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I didn't roll them out but made little 1-inch balls of dough and then pressed them lightly to create little "domes". Much less hassle! I was at first worried that it they would be too sweet (especially after glazing them in more sugar), but they are perfect! My favourite recipe this season!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

katze

Cooking Level: Beginning

Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2009

These cookies are very tasty. I don't grease my cookie sheets, I use either parchment or silicone mats. These stuck to my silicone mats. Parchment worked fine. I live in a town with a large military population, and I think I'll just buy these from the pros at my local german bakery. I only gave them three stars because of the stickiness, taste is a five!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

ttteri66

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Honesdale, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 7, 2009

Our family recipe is a little simpler but very close. One thing we do is to mellow them. this was the hardest part as a kid we so desperately wanted to eat them right then and there. Most bakery Lebkuchen are too wimpy and crispy for me, chewy is where it's at. Store in an airtight container for a few days. Add a cut orange or apple. remember fruit molds so change the fruit frequently.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

rglater

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2009

I have been looking for a good recipe to make these cookies for a long time - when I was growing up in England, we used to have a constant supply of lebkuchen in the cupboard at Christmas time; a gift from German friends. I used to sneak them up to my bedroom after supper! I followed the recipe to the letter except for one thing - I didn't have candied citrus, but I did have dried lemon peel from the local wholefood store, so I soaked 1/3 cup of dried lemon peel in the juice of half a lemon (the juice of the other half I used as directed in the rest of the recipe) for the time it took to boil the honey and molasses and assemble the rest of the ingredients. This was a long shot! After chilling the batter in the fridge for a good 24 hours, I made sure that the rolling pin and board were well-floured, and rolled out small batches. I used a 3-inch cookie cutter to stamp out rounds. Just make sure that you dab the cookie cutter in flour and keep the board well-floured, and you should be fine. The result was fantastic - I think the lemon peel made the cookies a bit "munchy" but they weren't tart, which was my only concern. It's quite easy to find recipes to make candied citrus online, otherwise. This is a great recipe! I iced some, and spread chocolate on others. I have been eating them all day. Not sure I'll be doing the storage thing with the fruit juice! Thank you for the recipe.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
9 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

auberginesetc

Reviewed: Nov. 5, 2009

I was station in Germany and grew to love their cookies. This recipe was great and lets revisit the country each time I eat a cookie.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

CarolinaGal

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Dunn, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2008

I have been using a recipe similar to this for over 40 years. It came to me from my Cincinnati-born grandmother (1882-1964) of German heritage. The only difference is the addition of 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and I use chopped pecans, which makes it the American version. I also use 3 packed cups of flour so the dough is not so sticky for handling and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. I have used a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter for fun but usually just roll and cut into rectangles, 24 per batch. Never have had the patience to wait a few days for mellowing. Select family members get some each Christmas. It is a lot of work but worth the effort.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
7 users found this review helpful