• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Start here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop

The Bake School

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start here
    • Baking 101
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Cookies

    Published on: December 9, 2020 by Janice; Updated on: October 8, 2021 9 Comments

    German gingerbread cookies

    127 shares
    • Facebook52
    • Yummly
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    German gingerbread on a cooling rack in the process of being glazed with icing.

    German gingerbread are sweetened with honey instead of molasses, and flavoured with a little cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, pepper, and cloves. These iced gingerbread cookies are a simple holiday treat!

    German gingerbread on a cooling rack in the process of being glazed with icing.
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    German gingerbread cookies are a little different than North American gingerbread cookies. They are made with honey instead of molasses, and have a little cocoa powder. The spices are similar to the usual ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but you also add cardamom, anise, and even ground pepper. They are often called "Lebkuchen," but also "Honigkuchen" (because they are sweetened with honey) or"Pfefferkuchen" (if they are made with pepper). Remember that "Kuchen" means cake in German.

    Actually, this recipe is quite similar to the soft gingerbread cookies from Helen Goh+Ottolenghi's baking book called Sweet!

    Ingredients for German gingerbread cookies measured out.

    Many recipes for German gingerbread include ground nuts and some will also include chopped candied citrus peel. They are usually glazed in a thin icing that is a little more translucent than what you see here and they may be garnished with blanched almonds. This German gingerbread cookie recipe is adapted from a recipe shared by a German work colleague. I changed a few things, like the spices, and also doubled the butter. Still, her version didn't have any nuts or citrus peel, so I stayed true to the original.

    German gingerbread dough after chilling in the refrigerator, unwrapped.

    The beauty of this cookie dough is that it is made from melted butter, so you don't have to worry about letting your butter come to room temperature because you can take the cold butter and melt it in a pot. The resulting dough is soft and might be too warm to roll, so I highly recommend letting it chill for 1 hour wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it from drying. The cold will help the cookies keep their shape when baked. 

    German gingerbread cookie cutouts on a parchment-lined sheet pan ready for the oven.

    Since these gingerbread are sweetened with honey instead of molasses, the flavour is quite distinct. I find you can really taste the honey and even the small amount of cocoa, which helps give these cookies a darker colour and also a more complex flavour that is a little more earthy and less sweet.

    Freshly baked German gingerbread cookies on a parchment lined sheet pan.

    The spices in gingerbread vary widely, some focus heavily on ginger only, but in this case, I combined it with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, and a small amount of ground cloves. If your spices are very old, I highly recommend composting them and replenishing your stash with a new batch. Old spices have less flavour and the aroma is mostly gone. I like to add a little pepper to gingerbread dough, which adds a little zip to them, but feel free to tweak the spices to suit your tastes.

    Gingerbread cookies being glazed on a black cooling rack.

    Traditionally, German gingerbread are coated in a very thin icing sugar glaze, which keeps the cookies fresh for longer, but I prefer to ice only the tops and with a thicker icing. I decorate them very simply, with pink peppercorns and green cardamom that I crush in a mortar and pestle. It's a nice, natural way of garnishing cookies without too much fuss.

    Pink peppercorns have a more fruity flavour than black pepper so a little goes a long way. Don't overdo the garnish or it's all you will taste in the end.

    Glazed round gingerbread cookies garnished with crushed pink peppercorns and freshly ground cardamom on a black cooling rack.

    I find these cookies taste better the day after they are made. This gives time for the flavours to develop and mingle. The cookies have a soft texture, a little toothsome, and the icing sets hard so you can easily store them without ruining your decorations!

    Want more gingerbread recipes? Try gingerbread granola, slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies, gingerbread muffins, or even matcha gingerbread!

    Gingerbread cookies being glazed on a black cooling rack.
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    German gingerbread cookies

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine German
    Keyword german gingerbread cookies
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 8 minutes
    Chill time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 28 minutes
    Servings 36 cookies
    Calories 70kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    • Braun mixer
    • Rolling pin
    • Sheet pan
    • Round cutters

    Ingredients

    • 250 grams (1 cup) bleached all-purpose flour
    • 15 mL (1 tablespoon) Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
    • 5 mL (1 teaspoon) baking powder
    • 5 mL (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
    • 2.5 mL (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) ground nutmeg
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) ground anise
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) ground cardamom
    • 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 0.625 mL (⅛ teaspoon) ground cloves
    • 0.625 mL (⅛ teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
    • 58 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter
    • 113 grams (⅓ cup) honey
    • 50 grams (¼ cup) light brown sugar
    • 1 large egg(s)

    Icing

    • 125 grams (1 cup) icing sugar
    • 30 mL (2 tablespoon) whole milk (3.25 % fat), more or less to achieve a thick consistency like donut glaze
    • green cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed, husk discarded/composted
    • pink peppercorns, crushed

    Instructions

    • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, and cloves. Set aside.
    • In a medium saucepan on medium–low heat, melt the honey, butter, and brown sugar, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. When the mixture is completely melted and homogeneous, remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl to cool until it is lukewarm.
    • Using an electric mixer, beat the cooled honey-butter mixture with the egg until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
    • Add the dry ingredient to the mixer bowl. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate every last bit of flour. The dough will be soft and a little sticky.
    • Line your work surface with a large piece of plastic wrap. Dump the dough on top and work it with your hands, with the help of the plastic wrap, to shape it into a disk. Wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
    • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • Take the disk of dough out of the fridge, unwrap it, and roll it out on a lightly-floured surface to ¼-inch. Using lightly floured 2-inch cookie cutters, cut out and transfer them to the baking sheet.
    • Bake the cookies until set, but still soft, for 6 to 8 minutes. They shouldn't brown and you don't want them to dry out.
    • Cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
    • Continue with the rest of the dough. The dough scraps can be rerolled a few times to make more cookies.
    • Store the baked cookies in an airtight plastic container to keep them soft.

    Icing

    • Whisk together the icing sugar with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of milk. Add a little more milk until you reach a very thick, smooth consistency that allows you to dip the tops of the cookies in the icing to glaze them, without the icing running off the edges. I needed a total of 30 mL (2 tablespoon of milk) but you may need 37.5 mL (2.5 tablespoon of milk) even.
    • Dunk the top of each cooled cookie in the icing, shaking off excess, and flip over onto a wire rack. Sprinkle with crushed pink peppercorns or crushed cardamom and allow the icing to dry before storing in an airtight container.
    Give backIf you enjoy the free content on this website, say thank you!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Cookies

    • Mini Eggs cookies cooling on a wire rack.
      Easy Mini Eggs cookies
    • A plate of chocolate shortbread cookies that are dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
      Chocolate shortbread cookies
    • Homemade alfajores cookies on plates served with coffee.
      Alfajores
    • Chocolate chip cookies with pecans cooled on a rack being served on black plates with glasses of milk.
      Chocolate chip cookies with pecans
    127 shares
    • Facebook52
    • Yummly
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Baking resources

  • Baking conversion charts
  • Baking ingredients and pantry staples
  • Baking substitutions
  • Common baking conversions
  • Choosing baking pans
  • How to measure ingredients for baking
  • Mixing methods
  • Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan says

      December 16, 2010 at 12:49 am

      These are beautiful little cookies! I will be making gingerbread cookies next week ... thanks for a new recipe to try!

      Reply
    2. Peredur says

      December 16, 2010 at 12:52 am

      These look delicious! I wonder how similar they are to Lebkuchen?

      Reply
    3. Kim - Liv Life says

      December 16, 2010 at 2:35 am

      Lovely cookies! We sure do live in different worlds (I'm in San Diego...), but it's this time of year that I really miss your cold, snowy world. Perfect baking weather, and you made good use of it!

      Reply
    4. Emily @ For Sweets Sake says

      December 16, 2010 at 8:04 pm

      your gingerbread cookies look great! 🙂 I love your snowflakes!

      Reply
    5. The Mom Chef says

      December 17, 2010 at 9:28 pm

      Your cookies are gorgeous. I would enjoy the slight chewiness to them over very crisp ones. I know it's a matter of taste, but I do prefer the chew.

      I enjoy looking at that snowy landscape out your window and knowing it's not mine!

      Reply
    6. The Cilantropist says

      December 29, 2010 at 8:40 pm

      I adore chewy german gingerbread cookies, I remember my grandma (Omi) making them when I was really little but once we were older she always made different cookies and also linzertorte every year. Yours look wonderful, and dont be so hard on yourself about the icing, they are lovely!

      Reply
    7. Carrie says

      January 04, 2016 at 5:27 am

      Thank You!!! I made these for Christmas just past- they were SO DELISCIOUS! I made a double batch, but didn't get to decorate them - they were eaten way to quickly.

      Reply
    8. Diane says

      November 22, 2022 at 2:29 pm

      going to make this version and your gingerbread people recipe just to see which I like best. Can these cookies be frozen? I am assuming yes since I bake cookies and freeze many of my sugar cookies and drop cookies. Cant wait to try these.

      Reply
      • Janice says

        November 24, 2022 at 11:41 am

        Hi Diane,
        I've been practicing freezing cookies more and more, and I have yet to come across a cookie that doesn't freeze well... Yes to freezing! Make sure the cookies have cooled completely before freezing.
        The only thing I haven't tested is freezing the iced cookies because I'm always worried about condensation and moisture ruining the finish. I prefer to freeze undecorated and then decorate after defrosting. But I've read that you can freeze decorated cookies. Just make sure that they don't get damp as they defrost. Some people will take all the cookies out of the freezer and lay them out in a single layer on paper towel-lined sheet pans to ensure good airflow and evaporation. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More about me →

    Give back

    If you enjoy the free content on this website, consider saying thank you!

    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Bake for Easter

    • Mini Egg bars cut into squares and served on small plates with a glass of milk on the side and a bowl of Mini Eggs.
      Mini Eggs blondies
    • Brownies decorated with Easter eggs cut into squares to serve.
      Easter brownies with Mini Eggs
    • Freshly baked carrot muffins being served on plates with butter.
      Moist carrot muffins
    • A slice of carrot cake layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a pale blue plate with a fork and striped linen napkin.
      Eggless carrot cake
    • Hot cross bun on a pink plate split open and served with butter.
      How to make hot cross buns for Easter weekend
    • Slices of chocolate babka bread
      Dark chocolate babka for Easter

    Bake with citrus

    • Lemon loaf cake topped with lemon icing and fresh raspberries being sliced to serve it
      Lemon loaf cake
    • Jars of homemade lime marmalade on a cooling rack.
      Lime marmalade
    • Pavlova cake filled with whipped cream, lemon curd, and raspberries being served.
      Pavlova
    • Orange pie with saltine crust and topped with orange marmalade glaze.
      Orange pie
    • A pot of homemade marmalade ready to be canned in jars.
      Orange marmalade
    • A pink glass plate with lemon bars.
      Easy lemon bars

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!
    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More about me →

    Give back

    If you enjoy the free content on this website, consider saying thank you!

    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Bake for Easter

    • carrot focaccia with feta and almonds
      Carrot focaccia
    • Let's bake with carrots-
      What to bake with carrots
    • Button-shaped cookies - Honey flavoured cookies
      Honey sugar cookies (cut-out cookies)
    • carrot cake
      Glazed carrot cake

    Bake with citrus

    • A pink plate filled with lemon shortbread cookies and with a yellow napkin.
      Lemon shortbread cookies
    • Pink grapefruit marmalade on toast on a plate with a striped linen.
      Grapefruit marmalade
    • Slices of orange cranberry cake served on pink glass plates with forks.
      Orange cranberry bundt cake
    • Rubbing lemon zest into granulated sugar in a bowl to make lemon sugar.
      How to make lemon sugar
    • Drizzling lemon cranberry muffins on a wire rack with lemon icing.
      Cranberry lemon muffins
    • A scoop of lemon ice cream served on a speckled plate with a cone and a black spoon
      Lemon custard ice cream

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!

    Footer

    If you enjoy the free content on this website, consider saying thank you!

    Buy Me a Pound of Butter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Janice
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and conditions
    • Accessibility
    • Press

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Portfolio

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2023 · THE BAKE SCHOOL