How to Make German Gingerbread Spice

Nuernberger Lebkuchen - Gingerbread Spices
J.McGavin
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 32 servings
Yield: 1/4 cup

Gingerbread is a traditional treat during the Christmas holidays in the United States and many European countries. Whether it's made into houses, cookies or more cake-like treats, it's a holiday dessert that's made in just about every household. Germany takes its gingerbread more seriously than most countries, and it even has a spice mix specifically for these holiday treats.

"Lebkuchengewuerz," or gingerbread spice, is called for in many German recipes. Similar to the mixtures common in the U.S., like apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice, lebkuchen spice mix is a combination of baking spices that are very familiar. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, but also coriander and cardamom, which are not common in American spice mixes, make the honey and nut ​treats found in Germany at Christmastime so unforgettable. If you do not have access to packets of lebkuchen spice, you can make it at home with this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground anise seed

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

Steps to Make It

  1. If you have whole spices (which have a longer shelf life), place the spices in a clean knife coffee grinder (one that looks like a food processor inside, not a burr grinder) and grind until they are fine. Alternatively, use store-bought ground spices.

  2. Sift any freshly ground spices through a fine sieve to remove large pieces and add to other ground spices.

  3. Mix the spices together thoroughly and place in an airtight container to store.

Uses for Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen, or gingerbread, are German spiced cookies that are a Christmas holiday tradition. They are similar to American gingerbread but often also contain nuts, honey, and candied or dried fruit, and they can be soft cookies or cake-like, moist bars covered with thick frosting. Whether cookies, bars or houses, these treats are the main use for lebkuchen spices. Use in your own recipe for gingerbread without the German additions if you like or doctor up gingerbread from a boxed mix.

You could also use this spice mix in hermit cookies, molasses spiced cookies, glazed and spiced orange cookies, sugar and spice cookies or gingersnaps. For a bit of a flavor changeup, substitute lebkuchen for pumpkin pie spice in pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cookies, and pumpkin bread. You can use lebkuchen spice mix in virtually any recipe that calls for even some of its ingredients—just consider the rest of the uncalled-for spices a flavor bonus.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
2 Calories
0g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories 2
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 6mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)