• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Dinner
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Contact
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Desserts

    Lebkuchenherzen Recipe- German Gingerbread Hearts

    Published: Sep 30, 2021 · Modified: Dec 13, 2021 by Marita · 13 Comments

    78 shares
    • facebook
    • whatsapp
    • yummly
    Jump to Recipe

    With this easy Lebkuchenherzen recipe you can create these iconic gingerbread heart cookies yourself. No Oktoberfest, Kirmes or Christmas market without bringing back a German Gingerbread Heart. Delicious flavours of honey, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg make this traditional Lebkuchen cake a special treat. Decorated with sugar icing and inscribed with a fun or meaningful phrase, these heart cookies are the perfect gift.

    Lebkuchenherzen (German Gingerbread hearts) on a bavarian blue and white napkin. The hearts are decorated with blue icing. The inscription say "Danke (Thank you) "Prost" Cheers" And Oktoberfest

    I am the first to admit that I struggled with decorating the hearts. I am not artistically inclined, but I wanted to share this traditional German recipe with you. As others may find decorating a lot easier than me, and the cake itself is delicious. I can vouch for that.

    What we will cover in this post:

    • What Are German Gingerbread Hearts?
    • How to make Gingerbread Hearts?
    • How to decorate the Gingerbread Hearts.
    • Tips to decorating the lebkuchen hearts
    • Gingerbread Heart Inscriptions Ideas
    • Gingerbread Hearts as gifts
    • Storage Instructions
    • Did you try this recipe?
    • Interested in German Christmas?
    • More German Christmas Baking Recipes
    • Lebkuchen Herzen (German Gingerbread Hearts)

    What Are German Gingerbread Hearts?

    Gingerbread hearts are traditional German gingerbread biscuit-like cakes decorated with icing. They are typically flat, plate-sized heart-shaped cookies that are decorated with royal icing. They are made of Lebkuchen, which is a cake made from honey and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves.

    You will find these gingerbread hearts typically sold at any larger German fair such as Oktoberfest, Christmas Markets or Kirmes. They are popular souvenirs and are great as gifts.

    Lebkuchenherz translates as "gingerbread heart in English." "Lebkuchen" is the German word for Gingerbread. "Herz" means "Heart" in English.

    As an English speaker, you would pronounce it "LEB-COOK-EN-HE-TS".

    Another name for the Oktoberfest is "Wiesn". This is because the first festival took place in a large meadow, which in Germany is called "Wiese". So in Germany, an Oktoberfest heart is also known as "Wiesn Herz"

    Origin of gingerbread heart tradition in Germany

    The history of the Lebkuchenherz began in the 1960s. The inventor of gingerbread was a baker from Munich called Gustav Tschernich. He originally came from the Czech Republic and was a merchant as well as an artist at the Oktoberfest. Tschernich was annoyed about the fragility of chocolate hearts that were sold at the time. So he invented the Lebkuchen hearts and decorated them with sugar icing and a nice inscription. These hearts were such a success that from then on he delivered these edible heart ornaments to many Oktoberfest stalls. Soon they were sold at any large fair in Germany.

    How to make Gingerbread Hearts?

    These Lebkuchen Herzen are easy to make from scratch. My advice is: give yourself enough time for this recipe as you will have to do a lot of waiting. Waiting for the cake batter to cool down, waiting for the dough to rest, and waiting for the icing to set. However, the wait will be worth it! Trust me!

    Equipment needed

    Heart shape cookie cutter template

    The most important tool is the heart shape. You can buy them UK Link or USA Link (affiliate links) or cut out your template and trace them with a knife.

    I have added my template here for FREE. Just download it, print it and cut it out. I cut out a template on some cardboard and then wrapped it in clingfilm to stop it from sticking to the dough.

    A DIY template to cut out German Gingerbread Heart Cookies. 
1 Picture shows the heart being cut on out cartboard. The second shows how shows how the heart is cut out with a knife.
    DIY Template to cut out Oktoberfest cookies

    This recipe makes around 8 gingerbread hearts using my template.

    In short: Essential equipment (affiliate links)

    • heart shaped cookie cutter or free template
    • baking parchment
    • small saucepan
    • piping bag with star tip and fine writing tip
    • OR icing syringe
    • Bands to attach hang up the cards
    • Clingfilm to wrap the hearts in

    Lebkuchen Heart Cookie Ingridients:

    • 100 g/ 3.5 oz unsalted butter
    • 225 g/ 8 oz honey
    • 125 g /4.4 oz sugar
    • 2 teaspoon gingerbread spice (I would recommend using my homemade Lebkuchen spicemix, or shop bought)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder (affiliate link)
    • 15 g/ 0.5 oz cocoa powder
    • 500 g/ 17.6 oz flour
    • 1 egg (medium size)

    Lebkuchenherz Recipe steps

    Lebkuchen Herzen Recipe Steps. 1. The honey, sugar and butter melted in a pot. 2. Rest of the ingridients are added. 3 You can see the finished dough on a non-stick mat. 4. The gingerbread dough is being rolle out with a wooden rolling pin
    1. Place the butter, honey and sugar in a small pot and place it on the stove. Melt the ingridients on a low heat.
    2. Remove the pot off the heat and leave to rest until it reaches room temperature.
    3. Now add in the gingerbread spice, baking powder (affiliate link), cocoa powder and egg to the honey mixture . Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the ingridients until combined. Now slowly add in the the flour and knead to a thick dough.
    4. Cover the dough, or place in an airtight container and leave to rest for at least 5 hours at room temperature.
    5. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees.
    6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a approximate thickness of 5 mm. As the dough it very sticky, I would recommend using a non-stick baking mat, or roll out the directly on the baking parchment. You might also find that the dough is sticking to your rolling pin. To prevent this from happening I used cling film on top of the dough. If you find the dough is too dry and starts cracking you can carefully brush a little milk on top.
    Lebkuchenherzen Recipe - 1 the gingerbread heart is being cut out by a template being traced with a knife. 2. Cut out the holes for the strings to thread through with a pen cap.
    1. Using your cookie cutter or using a self-cut template, cut out the hearts and place them on a tray lined with parchment.
    2. Using a small round object- I used a lid of a pen 🙂 cut out the two holes for string to be threaded through later.
    3. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Check that they do not turn too dark.
    4. Leave to cool completley before decorating.

    How to decorate the Gingerbread Hearts.

    The icing that is used for Lebkuchenherzen is called Eiweißglasur in German. This translates as "egg white glaze". It is the same as royal icing, which is used to decorate sugar cookies in the UK and US.

    The success of the icing very much depends on achieving the perfect consistency. It should not be too dense to pipe, but it needs to be firm enough to hold its shape. It is best to start piping on some baking parchment to test the consistency.

    Gingerbread Icing Ingridients:

    • 500 g /17.6 oz icing sugar/confectioners sugar
    • 2 egg whites (from medium eggs)
    • 1 pinch of salt
    • 2 table spoons lemon juice
    • Food colouring of your choice.

    Gingerbread Icing Recipe

    1. Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. (If there are any traces of oil in the bowl, the eggs might not stiffen. If in doubt, wipe the bowl with some vinegar).
    2. Add a pinch of salt and whisk the eggs until you can see soft peaks forming.
    3. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice in little potions.
    4. The icing should stick to the whisk but still be soft enough to be piped.
    5. Divide the icing into little potions. Add the food colouring as desired. Remember that if the food colouring is liquid, you might need to add a little more icing sugar/confectioners sugar again to gain the right consistency.

    Tips to decorating the lebkuchen hearts

    1. Start with the writing then continue to the outside.
    2. If you are unsure of the spacing, edge the letters with a skewer lightly on the cake and then trace with the icing.
    3. If th icing looses shape after you piped it, it is too liquid and you need to add more sugar.
    4. The icing is too hard and dry - add a little lemon juice to make it more liquid.
    5. Prepare ornamental decorations - You can make little flowers, hearts or stars by piping them on some baking parchment. Once they are dry you can stick them on with a little icing. This is an easier way than doing it directly on the cakes.

    Gingerbread Heart Inscriptions Ideas

    German Gingerbread hearts on a blue and white napin sitting on a woooden background. The gingerbread hearts have incriptions such as I love Oma, Danke, Prostm Ich liebe dich etc

    Oktoberfest sayings

    • Oktoberfest
    • Wiesn Gaudi (means Octoberfest Fun)
    • O'zapft is! ("O' Zapft is" is Bavarian dialect for "Es ist angezapft" - literal meaning "it has been tapped," really meaning "party time!")
    • Fesches Dirndl (Good looking girl in Dirndl)
    • Wiesn Prinzessin (Oktoberfest princess)
    • Gruß vom Oktoberfest (Greetings from Oktoberfest)
    • Lausbubla (Bavarian word for Rascal)

    Christmas Market sayings

    • Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)
    • Frohes Fest (Happy Holidays)
    • Ich schenk Dir mein Herz (I give/gift you my heart)

    Romantic Inscriptions

    • Ich Liebe Dich (I Love you)
    • Traummann (Dream Man)
    • Traumfrau (Dream Woman)
    • Herzl (diminuative of heart)
    • Fesches Madl (good looking girl)
    • Honigmaus (Honey mouse - a nick name)
    • Für die Liebe meines Lebens (for the love of my life)
    • Ich Vermisse Dich (I miss you)
    • Schatzi (my treasure (nickname))

    Funny Inscriptions

    • Ich bin single (I am single)
    • Ich hasse Bier (I hate beer)
    • Küss mich! (Kiss me)
    • Ich will heim (I want to go home)
    • Ich bin Superman (I am superman)
    • Zu mir oder zu dir (Shall we go to yours or mine?)
    German Gingerbread hearts on a blue and white napin sitting on a woooden background. The gingerbread hearts have incriptions such as I love Oma, Danke, Prostm Ich liebe dich etc

    Gingerbread Hearts as gifts

    These gingerbread hearts are seldom bought for oneself but are mostly given as a gift.

    They are perfect for any occasion. As a souvenir, weddings, birthdays, or simply to cheer someone up.

    Wrap the lebkuchen heart in some clingfilm. Make two holes for where the string goes through. Now thread through the string and is ready to give away.

    wrapping the Lebkuchenherzen as a gift. First picture shows the heart being wrapped in clingfilm. Second picture shows the heart being wrapped and holes added in to put in the strings.
    Wrapping the gingerbread heart to give as a gift

    Storage Instructions

    These gingerbread hearts are sometimes too pretty to eat. But how long do these pretty heart-shaped cakes last? Do not worry. A Lebkuchenherz can last for up to two years! If it gets too hard to eat, simply place it in the fridge for a while, and it will soften. Another tip is to place it in an airtight container with some apples, which will soften the cake again.

    Did you try this recipe?

    Please leave a rating or make a comment below. I would love to hear from you. You can send me an e-mail or comment on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

    Why not share our Facebook Group - Homemade German Food & Recipes. Here we chat about German Food and share recipes.

    Interested in German Christmas?

    • Read my Guide on German Christmas Food.
    • Discover all about German Christmas Market Food
    • And see all of our Christmas Recipes

    More German Christmas Baking Recipes

    • Marzipan Cookies
    • German Butter Cookies
    • Vanillakipferl
    • Baiser Cookies (Germen Merengue Cookies)
    • Kokusmakronen (German Coconut Macaroons)
    • Spitzbuben (German Jam Cookies)
    • Stollen (German Christmas Cake)
    Lebkuchenherzen (German Gingerbread hearts) on a bavarian blue and white napkin. The hearts are decorated with blue icing. The inscription say "Danke (Thank you) "Prost" Cheers" And Oktoberfest

    Lebkuchen Herzen (German Gingerbread Hearts)

    Marita
    These traditional Lebkuchen Herzen are a must for any Oktoberfest or German Christmas market. Now you can make them at home and its very simple.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hr
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Resting Time 5 hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine German
    Servings 8 hearts
    Calories 728 kcal

    Equipment

    • heart shaped cookie cutter or free template
    • baking parchment
    • small saucepan
    • piping bag with star tip and fine writing tip
    • OR icing syringe
    • Bands to attach hang up the hearts
    • Clingfilm to wrap the hearts in

    Ingredients
      

    For the Hearts

    • 100 g unsalted butter 3.5 oz
    • 225 g honey 8 oz
    • 125 g sugar 4.4 oz
    • 2 teaspoon gingerbread spice homemade Lebkuchen spicemix, or shop bought
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 15 g cocoa powder 0.5 oz
    • 500 g flour 17.6 oz, UK plain flour, US Pastry flour, Germany Type 405
    • 1 egg medium size

    Gingerbread Icing

    • 500 g icing sugar / confectioners sugar 17.6 oz
    • 2 egg whites (from medium eggs)
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • Foodcolouring of your choice

    Instructions
     

    • Place the butter, honey and sugar in a small pot. Melt the ingredients on the stove on low heat, while stirring throughout.
    • Remove the pot from the heat and leave it to rest until it reaches room temperature.
    • Now add the gingerbread spice, baking powder, cocoa powder and egg to the honey mixture. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the ingredients until combined. Now slowly add in the flour and knead to a thick dough.
    • Cover the dough, or place in an airtight container and leave to rest for at least 5 hours at room temperature.
    • Preheat your oven to 170°C or 338°F top to bottom heat.
    • Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a approximate thickness of 5 mm. As the dough it very sticky, I would recommend using a non-stick baking mat, or roll out the directly on the baking parchment. You might also find that the dough is sticking to your rolling pin. To prevent that from happening I used cling film on top of the dough. - if you find he dough is too dry and starts cracking you can carefully brush a little milk on top).
    • Using your cookie cutter or using a self cut template, cut out the hearts and place them on a tray lined with parchment.
    • Using a small round object (I used a lid of a pen 🙂 cut out the two holes for the string to threat through later.
    • Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Check that they do not turn too dark.
    • Leave to cool completely before decorating.

    Decorating the Gingerbread Hearts

    • Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. (If there are any traces of oil in the bowl, the eggs might not stiffen. If in doubt, wipe the bowl with some vinegar).
    • Add a pinch of salt and whisk the eggs until you can see soft peaks forming.
    • Add the icing sugar and lemon juice in little portions.
    • The icing should stick to the whisk but still be soft enough to be piped.
    • Divide the icing into little portions. Add the food colouring as desired. Remember that if the food colouring is liquid, you might need to add a little more icing sugar/confectioners sugar again to gain the right consistency. Remember to keep some white icing for the writing.
    • Fill the icing in your piping bag or syringe. I recommend using a star tip to decorate the outside and a fine tip for the writing.
    • One tip is to test your designs on some baking parchment before decorating the hearts. You can always scoop up the icing with a spoon and place it back into the piping bag for later.

    Notes

    I would strongly recommend checking out the step by step instruction photos on the main post. 
    See the main post for some German inscription inspiration. 

    Tips to decorating the lebkuchen hearts

    1. Start with the writing then continue to the outside.
    2. Test your piping on a bit of baking parchment before applying it to the cookie. 
    3. If you are unsure of the spacing, edge the letters with a skewer lightly on the cake and then trace with the icing.
    4. Icing loses shape after you pipe it, it is too liquid and you need to add more sugar.
    5. Icing is too hard and dry - add a little lemon juice to make it more liquid.
    6. Prepare ornamental decorations - You can make little flowers, hearts or stars by piping them on some baking parchment. Once they are dry you can stick them on with a little icing. This is an easier way than doing it directly on the cakes.

    Gift Wrap the Gingerbread Hearts 

    Wrap the lebkuchen heart in some clingfilm. Make two holes for where the string goes through. Now thread through the string and is ready to give away.

    Storage Instructions

    These gingerbread hearts are sometimes too petty to eat. But how long do these pretty heart-shaped cakes last? Do not worry. A Lebkuchenherz lasts up to two years. If it gets too hard to eat, simply place it in the fridge for a while, and it will soften. Another tip is to place it in an airtight container with some apples, which will soften the cake again.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 728kcalCarbohydrates: 151gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 84mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 3gSugar: 100gVitamin A: 346IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword Decorated Heart Cookies, German Gingerbread Heart, Gingerbead Heart Cookies, Lebkuchenherzen, Oktoberfest Cookies, Oktoberfest Heart Cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Apfelpfannkuchen Recipe (German Apple Pancakes)
    The Ultimate Guide to German Christmas Food »
    78 shares
    • facebook
    • whatsapp
    • yummly

    Filed Under: Cakes, Cookies and Biscuits, Desserts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca - Glutarama

      October 12, 2021 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter and I love Lebkuchen and these hearts are adorable. Not sure why they only come out at Christmas here in the UK, we should have them all year round in my opinion.

      Reply
    2. Jeri

      October 08, 2021 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      These cookies are so cute! I love all of the different quotes and sayings that you included! I plan to make these before Christmas! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/

      October 07, 2021 at 8:49 pm

      5 stars
      Ahh, we only see them in the UK around Christmas, or at least we used to. There were no Christmas markets last year, and no Germans came to Bristol with their goodies:( I am so glad that you wrote this recipe with easy instructions! I always wanted to make my own, but it was easier to buy them:))) I will surely decorate a few gingerbread hearts this year!

      Reply
    4. Freya

      October 07, 2021 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      What a lovely recipe, and what that family traditions are made of! Thank you for sharing

      Reply
    5. Ali

      October 07, 2021 at 12:09 am

      5 stars
      These are so cute! I love gingerbread and these would make a lovely personalised gift.

      Reply
      • Marita

        October 07, 2021 at 1:00 pm

        Yes I do think they are enjoyed best when given as a present.

        Reply
    6. Jere Cassidy

      October 06, 2021 at 10:30 pm

      5 stars
      Your cookies are very cute and I do love your homemade template.This recipe is on my list of cookies to make as I have always been intrigued by Lebkuchen and all the spices.

      Reply
      • Marita

        October 07, 2021 at 1:00 pm

        You have to let me know what you think of them when you made them.

        Reply
    7. Joanna

      October 06, 2021 at 10:10 pm

      5 stars
      I will make them around Xmas and have students in my German 101 class decorate them. A bit of holiday fun in the classroom. Vielen Dank!

      Reply
      • Marita

        October 07, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        Oh that would be a fun activity. Hope they like them.

        Reply
    8. Choclette

      October 05, 2021 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      Lebkuchen have been on my list of things to make for years. Not sure why I haven't got around to it yet as they are so delicious. Great to have an authentic German recipe to try now. Such fun to see the icing and find out what it all means.

      Pinned

      Reply
      • Marita

        October 07, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        Thank you Choclette, it is such a fun thing to make.

        Reply
    9. Lesley

      October 05, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic recipe, I love Lebkuchen, easily my favourite sweet treat at this time of year. Your recipe is packed full of spices, making these super delicious!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Marita Headshot

    Hi - I'm Marita!

    Food enthusiast & home cook. I returned to Germany after living in the UK for 20 years. I love making German recipes and exploring the cultural history behind each dish.

    Learn more about me →

    Let's get social

    Popular Posts

    • Traditional German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)
    • Moist Streuselkuchen (German Crumb Cake)
    • Donauwelle (Danube Cake / Schneewitchen Kuchen)
    • German Poppy Seed Cake (Mohnkuchen)
    An advert for a free Mini German Cookbook

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 My Dinner

    • 52