Lebkuchen cookies with spelt and cacao nibs

Lebkuchen cookies made with wholemeal spelt flour, butter, honey and gingerbread spice, with cacao nibs and a coconut sugar crust. Family-friendly desserts, 226 kcal per cookie.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 45 min
• Cooking time: 24 min
• Total time: 69 min
• Calories: 226 kcal per serving
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 12 g
• Carbs: 24 g

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 80g coconut sugar
• 60g honey
• 1 egg
• 250g wholemeal spelt flour
• 50g cacao nibs
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tsp gingerbread spice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray

1. Melt the butter and let it cool for 5 minutes. Mix it with most of the coconut sugar, the honey and the egg.
2. Mix the wholemeal spelt flour, cocoa, gingerbread spice, bicarbonate of soda and salt, stir them in with the cacao nibs to make a soft dough and chill it for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Shape 12 balls and dip the tops in the remaining coconut sugar.
4. Place the balls well apart on two baking trays lined with baking paper and press them down slightly.
5. Bake the cookies one tray at a time at 180 °C for 10 to 12 minutes each, until the edges are firm and the middle still looks soft.
6. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes – that way they stay soft inside and crack on the outside.

Good to know

Half Lebkuchen, half American cookie: cracked outside, soft in the middle. Cacao nibs crunch like chocolate chips but taste more bitter. The honey keeps the cookies moist.

Swaps

Cacao nibs → chopped hazelnuts. Wholemeal spelt flour → white spelt flour. Butter → coconut oil. Gingerbread spice → cinnamon and ginger.

Cooking tips

Take the cookies out of the oven while the middle still looks soft – they keep baking on the tray. Chilled dough spreads less.

Storage

Keeps for 1 week in a tin; the dough keeps for 3 months in the freezer.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt), milk (butter) and egg; nut-free. Because of the honey, not suitable for children under 1 year.

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze Lebkuchen cookies?

Keeps for 1 week in a tin; the dough keeps for 3 months in the freezer.