Lebkuchen Herzen (German Gingerbread Hearts)

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.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 12

Resting Time 5

Servings hearts

Calories 728kcal

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
225 g honey
125 g granulated sugar
2 teaspoon gingerbread spice homemade Lebkuchen spicemix, or shop bought
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon cocoa powder =
500 g all-purpose-flour 17.6 oz, UK plain flour, US Pastry flour, Germany Type 405
1 egg medium size

Gingerbread Icing

500 g powdered sugar
2 egg whites (from medium eggs)
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Foodcolouring of your choice

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Place the butter, honey and sugar in a small pot. Melt the ingredients on the stove on low heat while stirring throughout.
100 g unsalted butter, 225 g honey, 125 g granulated sugar
Remove the pot from the heat and let rest until it reaches room temperature.
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.
2 teaspoon gingerbread spice, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 egg, 500 g all-purpose-flour
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 340°F top to bottom heat.
Roll the dough to an approximate thickness of 5 mm using a rolling pin. As the dough is very sticky, I recommend using a non-stick baking mat or rolling it out 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 the dough is too dry and starts cracking, you can carefully brush a little milk on top.
Using your cookie cutter or a self-cut template, cut out the hearts and place them on a tray lined with parchment.
Using a small round object, cut out the two holes so the string can thread 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).
2 egg whites
Add a pinch of salt and whisk the eggs until soft peaks form.
1 pinch salt
Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice in small portions.
500 g powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon lemon juice
The icing should stick to the whisk but still be soft enough to be piped.
Divide the icing into small portions. Add the food coloring as desired. Remember that if the food coloring is liquid, you might need to add more powdered sugar again to gain the right consistency. Make sure to keep some white icing for the writing.
Foodcolouring
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 baking parchment before decorating the hearts. If needed, 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

Start with the writing then continue to the outside.
Test your piping on a bit of baking parchment before applying it to the cookie.
If you are unsure of the spacing, edge the letters with a skewer lightly on the cake and then trace with the icing.
Icing loses shape after you pipe it, it is too liquid and you need to add more sugar.
Icing is too hard and dry - add a little lemon juice to make it more liquid.
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