German Christmas Cookie Recipe

One of the oldest traditional German holiday desserts is made using a German Christmas cookie recipe. This ancient German holiday treat is a honey soaked iced bar filled with fruit, spice, and chopped almonds.

To make German Christmas cookies, you will need:

• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups almonds, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped candied citron
• 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
• 2 cups honey
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp. whiskey
• 3 eggs  

To make milk frosting, you will need:

• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. milk

1. Prepare ingredients. Finely chop almonds. Coarsely chop candied citron and candied orange peel. Set aside in separate dishes.
2. Prepare dry ingredients. Measure flour, salt, baking soda, ground gloves and cinnamon into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add finely chopped almonds, chopped candied citron, and chopped candied orange peel to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. Boil water in the bottom of a double boiler. In the top of the double boiler combine sugar, honey, and whiskey and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool. Beat in eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture and blend the batter until smooth.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Spread a light coat of butter over a 15 x 10 inch baking pan. Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread until the batter is even. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Make the milk frosting by combining powdered sugar and milk in a bowl and mixing until smooth.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Spread the milk frosting on the top of the baked German Christmas cookies (Lebkuchen). Let the German Christmas cookies cool to room temperature before cutting into two inch bars. Store in an airtight container for up to six months.

Tips/Warnings: Make a double boiler out of two different size saucepans. Choose a larger saucepan to hold the boiling water and a smaller saucepan that will rest that is deep enough so the boiling water can’t splash into it. Baking can be temperamental depending on the elevation and climate of where you live. Always test baked goods by inserting a toothpick in the center of the item. When the toothpick comes out clean with nothing stuck to it the baking is complete.