vegan lebkuchen

No other cookie compares to the lebkuchen when it comes to Christmas. These are the ultimate Christmas treat! With a spiced cookie dough, a cheeky splash of brandy, zesty orange icing, and a dark chocolate base, you will not be able to keep your hands out of the cookie jar with these bad boys! These cookies truly are THE favourite. Using the traditional flavours of Christmas, we’ve made this recipe really simple and easy to make. Decorate them however you like or follow our handy method. Whatever you choose, these lebkuchen are the perfect choice for you. Enjoy them dunked in your coffee or as an after-dinner treat!

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 500g wholewheat bread flour
• 200g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp mixed spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, etc.
• 250ml unsweetened vegan cream
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp brandy
• A little unsweetened plant milk, to glaze

For the decorations

• 200g icing sugar
• The juice of 1 large orange
• 150g vegan dark chocolate

Method

To make the cookies

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, arrowroot powder, baking powder, cocoa powder, and spices. Stir them together until everything is well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream, oil, vanilla, and brandy. Once combined, add to the dry ingredients, and stir until everything starts to come together.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly-floured surface, and knead until everything comes together and your dough is soft and fairly smooth (don’t worry if it isn’t completely smooth).
4. Place the kneaded dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and leave it to rest for 1 hour. After this time, preheat your oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Split the dough into four pieces. On a clean and well-floured surface, roll out one quarter until it is 1cm thick. Stamp out different shapes using cooking cutters – lebkuchen are usually love-hearts, stars, rounds, and bells, but you can use whichever shapes you have.
6. Transfer the cookies to your baking sheets and brush with a little unsweetened plant milk. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes in the centre of the oven. Once done, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool completely.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all of the cookie dough has been used. You should end up with about 60 cookies.

Now let’s decorate

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and orange juice until completely smooth.
2. Hold a cookie in between your fingers and thumb, face-down, and gently press it into the bowl of icing until the top and sides are submerged. Remove the cookie, turn it over so that it’s now face up, and place it on a cooling rack to dry (you might want to put a plate or parchment paper underneath to catch the drips). Repeat this step until all of the cookies are glazed.
3. Once the icing is completely dry, we can move onto the chocolate! Place a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (bain-marie). Break up the chocolate into the bowl and wait for it to melt slightly. Once starting to melt, stir occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted and it looks nice and glossy.*
4. Remove the whole bain-marie from the heat and keep the bowl over the pan of hot water (this ensures the chocolate doesn’t harden too quickly). One cookie at a time, dunk the bottom (un-iced) side of the cookie into the chocolate. Scrape off any excess using a spatula and place the cookie back onto the cooling rack and leave until the chocolate has completely set. Repeat this step for all of the cookies.

*Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate has completely melted. Then proceed with the method as normal at step 6.

Of course, you can decorate these cookies in any way you like (or leave them undecorated completely!) but my favourite way of decorating these little lebkuchen is the method above. Once all of the lebkuchen are dry, keep them stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and eat them within a week. These lebkuchen make a really lovely handmade Christmas present for you friends and family. Simply wrap them in some parchment paper, tie with a little bit of twine, and you have the perfect little seasonal treat for your loved ones.

If you make these vegan lebkuchen, give a like and a comment and share this recipe with your friends! As always tag us on Instagram @amongsttheflour so we can see your marvelous creations. I absolutely love seeing them!

Katherine x

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