German Lebkuchen (Soft Gingerbread Cookies)
These soft German Lebkuchen cookies are loaded with festive gingerbread spices, dried apricot, a little cocoa powder, & dipped in chocolate. Perfect for the holiday season & now 100% gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free, too!
Servings 12 Lebkuchen
Ingredients
Soft gingerbread:
- 100 g (3/4 cup) buckwheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 100 g (1 cup) finely ground almonds or hazelnuts
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 tsp gingerbread spice (check the FAQs to make your own Lebkuchen spice)
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 150 g (1/2 cup) date syrup or maple syrup
- 50 g (3 Tbsp) almond butter or nut/seed butter of your choice
- 180-200 ml (3/4 cup) dairy-free milk (see notes)
- 70 g (7) dried apricots chopped into small pieces
Chocolate coating:
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dairy-free dark chocolate
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Check the video in the post for visual instructions.First, preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F) and lightly grease a silicone cookie mold (e.g., donuts, hearts, gingerbread men, etc.).
- Then, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cocoa powder, gingerbread spice) and orange zest in a large bowl and mix with a spoon.
- Add the wet ingredients (syrup, dairy-free milk, and nut/seed butter) and stir to combine, then fold in the finely chopped apricots.
- Transfer the thick cookie batter to the silicone mold, gently tapping it against the counter to release bigger air bubbles.Using the same mold I did, this should yield 12 large, soft gingerbread cookies, each weighing about 60 grams.
- Transfer the mold to the oven and bake the German gingerbread cookies for 16-18 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cooled, melt the chocolate and coconut oil using a double boiler method or microwave (in 10-15 second increments, stirring between). Dip each cookie into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off, then transfer them to a parchment-paper-lined plate.
- Finally, transfer them to the fridge to set the chocolate, and enjoy!
Notes
- Dairy-free milk: I recommend using full-fat canned coconut milk with at least 10% fat for the best results. This provides the best crumb texture and moisture.
Nutrition Facts
German Lebkuchen (Soft Gingerbread Cookies)
Serving Size
1 Lebkuchen
Amount per Serving
Calories
244
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
20
%
Sodium
15
mg
1
%
Potassium
432
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
27
g
9
%
Fiber
5
g
20
%
Sugar
15
g
17
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
280
IU
6
%
Vitamin C
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
128
mg
13
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.