Famous Aachener Printen - German Lebkuchen Bars

Aachener Printen is a German gingerbread cookie that comes with a long history. A regional German Christmas food specialty that has a unique recipe, compared to other German Lebkuchen. It is a naturally vegan recipe, as the recipe uses no eggs.

These humble gingerbread lebkuchen bars taste delicious. They are infused with flavors of cardamon, anise, cinnamon, and cloves. The bars have a crunch to them, which is due to the crunchy brown rock sugar (affiliate link) inside.

What are Aachener Printen

Aachener Printen is a specific type of German Gingerbread that originates from the city of Aachen. The city is famous for its grand cathedral, its historic town hall, and for its famous gingerbread.

The recipe is unique as you use three kinds of sugar; beet syrup (affiliate link), brown sugar, and rock sugar (affiliate link) to make them. Spices such as star anise, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon give it its flavor. It is usually shaped into rectangular bars.

Every Printen will have the same dough as a base. Only after they are baked do you refine them by covering them in chocolate, icing sugar, or decorating them with nuts and dried fruits.

You are only allowed to call them "Aachener Printen" if they were made in Aachen and the surroundings. The name is protected by the EU. If they are made anywhere else they are just called "Printen". [Source Wikipedia: Aachener Printe]

Aachener Printen are available all year round but are especially popular at Christmas. It is one of the most popular Christmas market foods to bring home for tourists.

History

Lebkuchen was made in Aachen for centuries before the modern Aachener Printen was invented. From the 15th-century honey cakes were made and imprinted with beautiful pictures. These were sold to pilgrims who came to visit the cathedral in Aachen.

This is where the name "Printen" evolved from as "Printen" comes from "Prenten" which means to print.

Only in 1820 was the "modern" Printe invented. This is thanks to Napoleon, who blocked 1806 the British trading routes. This cut off Aachen from the supply of honey and sugar. So the bakers replaced the honey with cheaper beet syrup (affiliate link). This made the gingerbread harder and it was no longer suitable to be imprinted with pictures. The baker Henrich Lambetz is credited for refining the biscuit by adding spices such as Anise, cardamon, cloves, and cinnamon to the dough. Only around 1855 was the rock sugar (affiliate link) (Kandiszucker) added, which give the gingerbread its characteristic crunch and caramel-like flavor.  (source, Irene Krauss 1999 - Chronik bildschöner Backwerke)

How to make Aachener Printen

Ingredients:

• beet syrup (affiliate link) - see below for more information
• brown sugar
• gingerbread spice (I recommend using this Lebkuchen spice recipe)
• ground anise
• potash (affiliate link) (or baker's ammonia) - see below for more information
• flour (Germany type 405, UK plain flour, USA all-purpose flour)
• brown rock sugar (affiliate link)- - see below for more information

Beet syrup (Zuckerübensirup)

Beet syrup (affiliate link) is produced from the juice of sugar beet. You strain the juice and boil it until a thick brown/black syrup is produced. In Germany, you spread it on bread, have it as a side for Kartoffelpuffer or sweeten sauces with it. I would recommend using the German beet syrup (affiliate link) from Grafschaftler, as I have not tested the recipe with any other kinds.

I found that in some foreign recipes beet syrup (affiliate link) is replaced with corn syrup. However, I have not tested it, as corn syrup is not available in Germany.

Where to buy German Beet Syrup

USA - Amazon (affiliate link), European Deli,

UK - Amazon (affiliate link)

Canada- Gary's European Sausage, Unami Shop, Amazon,

Australia - German Butchery

Potash (Baker's Ammonia)

In English-speaking countries, Potash (affiliate link) is often called Baker's Ammonia or Potasche. It is nothing else than potassium carbonate (although technically Baker's Ammonia may be ammonium carbonate) and it is used as a leveling agent in heavy doughs such as gingerbread. It has a similar effect in baking to yeast or sourdough with one big difference. While these make the dough rise high - potash (affiliate link) makes the dough go wider. You can substitute potash (affiliate link) with baking soda, but you will not get the same effect.

Where to buy Bakers Ammonia

USA - amazon (affiliate link), King Arthur Baking

UK - amazon (affiliate link)

Canada - Vanilla Food Company

Australia - Amazon, Olympian Food

Belgium Rock Sugar (Kandiszucker)

Rock sugar (affiliate link) is in essence nothing else than rough sugar crystals. Conventional sugar is made from more fine crystals. Brown rock sugar (affiliate link) contains more molasses than white sugar and so more of a caramel-like flavor. In Germany, it is often used to sweeten tea, Glühwein, and other drinks. For baking, the rock sugar (affiliate link) is ground a little finer, which makes it easier to work into the dough.

Where to buy German Rock Sugar

USA - Blush Tea and Coffee

UK - Herbriand Tea Store

Canada - Markol

Australia - Transcending Tea

Aachener Printen Recipe Step by Step:

1. Place the beet syrup (affiliate link) and brown sugar into a saucepan. Heat it slowly on low heat until the sugar is melted (it should not start to boil).
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the gingerbread spice, ground anise, and salt. Leave the beet syrup (affiliate link) mixture to cool down a bit as you do not want the rock sugar (affiliate link) to melt when you add it to the syrup.

3. If, like mine, your rock sugar (affiliate link) comes in big lumps, it is best to break it apart. The best way is to place it into a freezer bag and beat it with a meat mallet (affiliate link) or a heavy saucepan. It should break apart into smaller pieces. You want a crunch in your lebkuchen cookies, but without breaking any teeth.
4. In a small bowl mix the potash (affiliate link) with 5 tablespoons of water. Add to the syrup.

5. Place the beet syrup (affiliate link) mix in a larger mixing bowl. With a stand or hand mixer add the flour and knead to a smooth dough. Lastly, add in the rock sugar (affiliate link) and mix well. Do not worry if it is a thick, dense dough.
6. Wrap the dough in cling film or place it in an airtight container. It needs to rest for 24-48 hours in a cool place (but not the fridge). A cellar or a cool windowsill ledge will do.

7. After the resting time, you need to roll out the dough to a 0.5 cm thickness. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 356°F. The dough will be hard to roll out so I suggest dividing it into smaller portions. If you can try to roll it out in a rectangular shape. As the dough is sticky, I would use a non-stick silicon baking mat (affiliate link), or roll it out on some baking parchment. Place a sheet of cling film between the dough and the rolling pin (affiliate link) to prevent sticking.

8. Slice the dough into rectangular slabs. Mine were 5 x 15 cm. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment. Brush them with milk. This gives the surface a nice sheen after you baked it.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Topping/Decoration Options

When you visit Aachen you will find Printen cookies with different flavors. The base recipe remains the same, but the toppings will vary. Here are some examples:

• A classic is to simply leave the Printen bare, just a little bit of milk brushed onto it before baking for a little sheen.
• Another idea is to bush it with sugar water, just when they come hot out of the oven. Brushing them with melted honey will have a similar effect. This will make them shine even stronger.
• It is also popular to dip them in chocolate after they cooled down.
• To make them with dried fruits and nuts, you can place those on top of the Printen before pouring chocolate over them.
• You can decorate them with an icing glaze. Simply mix together icing/ confectioners sugar with either lemon or orange juice and spread over the Printen.

Recipe Variations

• some recipes like adding some candied orange peel to the dough. Add about 50 g
• instead of dissolving the bakers ammonia in water, you can also dissolve it in 5 tablespoons of rum.
• some recipes add about 100 g of honey to the dough and reduce the beet syrup (affiliate link) by 100 g instead.

FAQ

Storage Instructions

The Aachner Printen will last up to 4 weeks if you store them in a cool, dark place.

If you want soft Printen, it is best to store them in a dark but moist place. For example in a tin with fresh bread or slices of apples.

Recipe