Gluten-free Elisenlebkuchen (flourless nut gingerbread) with hazelnuts and honey

Gluten-free Elisenlebkuchen made with hazelnuts, almonds, honey and gingerbread spice, with apricots instead of candied orange peel. Moist Christmas treats, 169 kcal each.

At a glance

• Serves 16
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 20 min
• Total time: 50 min
• Calories: 169 kcal per serving
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 11 g
• Carbs: 12 g

Ingredients

• 150g ground hazelnuts
• 130g almonds
• 3 eggs
• 100g honey
• 50g coconut sugar
• 60g dried apricots
• 1 orange
• 2 tsp gingerbread spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · hand mixer · chopping board · knife · grater

1. Set aside 16 whole almonds for decoration and finely grind the rest. Chop the apricots very finely and grate the orange zest.
2. Whisk the eggs, honey and coconut sugar with a hand mixer for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
3. Mix the ground hazelnuts, ground almonds, apricots, orange zest, gingerbread spice, baking powder and salt and fold everything into the egg mixture. Leave the dough to soak for 15 minutes.
4. Use two tablespoons to place 16 mounds on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spread them into 7 cm circles and press an almond into the middle of each.
5. Bake the Lebkuchen in a preheated oven at 160 °C (140 °C fan) for 18 to 20 minutes; they should stay soft inside.
6. Leave them to cool on a wire rack and serve them after a day in the tin.

Good to know

Elisenlebkuchen are the finest kind of Lebkuchen: lots of nuts, hardly any flour. This version needs no flour at all and stays moist inside.

Swaps

Dried apricots → figs (darker). Hazelnuts → walnuts (more bitter). Coconut sugar → honey (softer dough). Baking paper → gluten-free wafer paper as a base (the classic look).

Cooking tips

If you'd like to use wafer paper, choose one that is clearly labelled gluten-free – regular wafers contain wheat. The Lebkuchen are done when the edges are firm and the middle still gives a little.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a cookie tin with a piece of orange peel.

Allergens

Contains hazelnuts, almonds and egg; honey is not suitable for children under one year old, fine during pregnancy.

Dairy-free recipes