Vegan Lebkuchen (German gingerbread) with spelt and maple syrup

Vegan Lebkuchen made with wholemeal spelt flour, hazelnuts and almonds, with maple syrup, orange and apricots and a cocoa glaze. Soft vegan snacks for Advent, 258 kcal per two pieces.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 14 min
• Total time: 44 min
• Calories: 258 kcal per serving
• Protein: 6 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Carbs: 26 g

Ingredients

• 60g dried apricots
• 1 unwaxed orange
• 200g wholemeal spelt flour
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 50g ground almonds
• 150ml maple syrup
• 60g almond butter
• 60ml oat milk
• 25g coconut oil
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 tsp gingerbread spice
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl · grater

1. Finely chop the dried apricots. Grate the zest of the orange and squeeze out the juice.
2. Mix the wholemeal spelt flour, hazelnuts, almonds, bicarbonate of soda, gingerbread spice, half the cocoa and the salt in a bowl.
3. Stir most of the maple syrup with the almond butter, oat milk, orange juice and orange zest, and knead everything with the apricots into a soft dough.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). With damp hands, shape 24 balls, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and press them flat into 6 cm rounds.
5. Bake the Lebkuchen at 180 °C for 12 to 14 minutes, until they feel firm at the edges, and leave them to cool on a wire rack.
6. Melt the coconut oil, stir in the rest of the cocoa and maple syrup and brush it over the Lebkuchen. Leave the glaze to set for 20 minutes.

Good to know

These Lebkuchen need no egg, honey or wafer bases and are still soft and moist. Almond butter and maple syrup make that happen, and the apricots bring fruit. After two days in the tin they taste even more rounded.

Swaps

Dried apricots → raisins or figs. Hazelnuts → walnuts. Wholemeal spelt flour → light spelt flour (paler). Maple syrup → honey (then no longer vegan).

Cooking tips

Don't bake the Lebkuchen too long – they firm up as they cool. Put a piece of apple in the tin with them and they'll stay soft.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a tightly sealed tin.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt), hazelnuts and almonds; vegan, with no milk or egg. Suitable for children.

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