German Christmas Cookies: Traditional Holiday Recipes and Favorites
German Christmas Cookies: A Tradition Worth Keeping
German Christmas cookies are one of the most beloved traditions of the holiday season. Across Germany, families spend December baking dozens of different cookies, filling tins and platters with everything from buttery Vanillekipferl to spicy Lebkuchen.
Even if you’re not much of a baker (trust me… I’m not either), the tradition itself is worth keeping. Baking cookies together, sharing family recipes, and filling the house with those incredible holiday smells is part of what makes Christmas feel like Christmas.
My grandfather was a baker, but not just your run of the mill baker of cookies and cakes here and there. He was a master at his craft! His recent passing has my entire family wishing we learned more about baking from him, but he was pretty protective of his recipes, often changing things based on the weather, which makes his cookies very hard to replicate. My uncle is working on it and he makes a wicked good rye bread, so I'm hopeful that Grandpa's cookies will come back to life through Uncle Art!Top 6 Traditional German Christmas Cookies
Macaroons
These classic German Christmas cookies are made with hazelnuts and egg whites, creating a light, chewy texture with a slightly crisp outside. They’re simple to make and a staple on many German holiday cookie plates. These are one my personal favs!
Schwarz-Weiß-Gebäck
These eye-catching shortcrust cookies are made by combining vanilla dough and cocoa dough into striped or swirled patterns. They’re as fun to look at as they are to eat and are a classic addition to German Christmas cookie trays.
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen is Germany’s famous gingerbread cookie, packed with warm spices, nuts, and citrus flavor. The soft Nuremberg version is often baked on a thin wafer called an Oblate, while the harder versions are used to make gingerbread houses and the decorative hearts sold at fairs. The finest variety is the Elisenlebkuchen that contains almost no flour. Looking for authentic German groceries including Christmas cookies? Look no further, CLICK HERE. (use code RareDirndl10 for 10% your first order)
Spekulatius
Spekulatius are thin, crisp spiced cookies traditionally made with carved molds that press decorative patterns into the dough. Flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, they’re especially popular during the Christmas season.
Spitzbuben
Spitzbuben are delicate sandwich cookies filled with red currant jam and dusted with powdered sugar. While often associated with Switzerland, they are also very popular in Germany during the holidays. These are a favorite in our house and my kids love to help with the powdered sugar!
Almond Crescents – Vanillekipferl
There are so many recipes out on the Internet these days, so how can you tell which ones are the good ones?
Favorite German Christmas Cookie Recipes from the Rare Dirndl Community
I asked some of the members of our Rare Dirndl community and here are their responses when we asked what were their favorite cookie recipe recommendations.
"Here is a great quick list of my all time favorites! https://dirndlkitchen.com/my-5-favorite-german-christmas-cookies/"
- Sophie Sadler
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"Snickerdoodles are always a hit and easy to make! Here's a good recipe: https://lilluna.com/snickerdoodles/"
- Cat Boucher
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"These are a big favorite at our house at Christmas. This is a recipe that my Großmama clipped out of a German American newspaper around 1910. There is so much chocolate in this recipe that no other fat is called for. I always bake them in a 9x13 pan and cut them into bars.
Berliner Brot
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb unsweetened chocolate (8 ozs.)
3 eggs
1 lb brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 lb cut nut meats (I use slivered almonds)
1 large cup sifted flour
Melt chocolate and set aside. Beat eggs until foamy and add sugar, spices, nuts and flour and mix. Stir in melted chocolate. Drop from spoon onto a well-greased pan (I use parchment paper and no grease...works beautifully.) Bake at 300° for 15 minutes. (The first batch may need the full 15 minutes...subsequent batches will need less.)
A couple of tips:
In Großmama's original recipe you have the option of turning all the batter into a jelly roll pan and baking them as bars, which is how I bake them now. Cut them into bars while still warm.
The batter should be thick but not too stiff, like brownie batter. If the chocolate starts to cool too much while spooning out the batter, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to re-melt the chocolate."
- Bonnie Hiller Fullerton
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"Hands down, my favorite Christmas cookie! Bonus that it’s German. https://flouronmyface.com/german-spritz-cookies/"
- Kathy Miertz
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"Vanillekipferl are my absolute favorite of the multitude of German Christmas cookies my Oma used to make.
This is the closest I have found to her recipe (which I only have on a recipe card difficult to read in german cursive)
https://platedcravings.com/german-christmas-baking-vanillekipferl/ "
- Brittany S.
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"These are my fiancé’s favorites! Spitzbuben (German Jam Cookies) Best, Veronica Trapani"
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"Here’s my dad’s favorite cookie, I found it years ago and he requests me to make it every Christmas. There are similar recipes out there, but the difference is that I use sliced sweetened dried orange slices. Trader Joe’s have it, but candied orange slices work too.
Cranberry Orange Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 ¼ cups (319g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level method)
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar
½ cup (57g) confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
½ cup dried cranberries packed
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest from 1 orange
½ cup sweetened dried orange slices or candied orange peel
½ cup sugar for sprinkling on cookies optional
Extra orange zest for sprinkling on cookies optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Cream the butter, sugars, and zest together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) for 1 ½ minutes.
- Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla until combined.
- Mix in the flour and salt just until combined.
- Place cranberries and orange slices in a food processor, and pulse until all pieces are finely chopped. Then mix dried fruit into the dough.
- Roll the dough into 2 equally sized logs, about 8 inches long and 1 ¾ inch in diameter. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3-4 days.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325° F and put the rack in the middle.
- When the oven is ready, slice the cookie dough into about 1/3-inch circles. Use a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.
- Put the cookies about 1 inch apart (they won’t really spread) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with a little sugar.
- For best results, bake one sheet at a time until the bottom edges are just turning golden for a crisper cookie, about 13 minutes.
- For a softer cookie, pull them out when the cookies are set but not yet turning golden on the bottom edges, about 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cookies with a little sugar again as soon as they come from the oven for extra sparkle.
- Let the cookies cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully move them to a cooling rack."
- Steph Kalota
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German Christmas Cookies FAQs
What are traditional German Christmas cookies?
Traditional German Christmas cookies include classics like Lebkuchen, Vanillekipferl (vanilla crescents), Spekulatius, Springerle, and Spitzbuben. Many families bake a variety of cookies throughout Advent and serve them on festive cookie plates.
What is the most popular German Christmas cookie?
One of the most famous German Christmas cookies is Lebkuchen, a spiced gingerbread cookie that originated in Nuremberg. Another favorite is Vanillekipferl, delicate crescent-shaped cookies coated in vanilla sugar.
When do Germans bake Christmas cookies?
In Germany, cookie baking typically begins during Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Families often bake several types of cookies and store them in tins to enjoy throughout the holiday season.
What are Vanillekipferl cookies?
Vanillekipferl are buttery crescent-shaped cookies made with ground nuts and coated in vanilla sugar. They are one of the most beloved cookies served during German Christmas celebrations.
Are German Christmas cookies different from American cookies?
Yes. German Christmas cookies often use ingredients like almonds, hazelnuts, spices, and marzipan. Many are less sweet than American cookies and focus more on texture and traditional flavors.
Now it’s your turn. If you have any other cookie recommendations for us, feel free to add them, and the links in the comments below!
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Comments
Karen Shineflug Moore said:
Our holiday tradition is to make Dresdener Stollen using a recipe my Grandpa handed down—his niece baked it—I have a picture of the house she grew up in on the outskirts of Dresden and picture her and her mother making it there.
Sandra said:
I know four (4) different lebkuchen, my favorite was one my paternal grandmother made, you actually heat the honey and other “liquid” ingredients before adding them to the flour mix and then make the dough. Every year in August I order (easy to do online) my baking spices from the German Grocery. This weekend is busy with trees and baking, always the 4th Weekend of Advent, always so very busy in the house!
Melissa said:
I just made pfeffernusse cookies the other day! I’ve always tried them from Aldi but never too on making them! Surprisingly Easy!! My mom always talked about her grandmother (born in Baden-Baden) would make a crescent cookie with Walnuts, would it be a variation on the Almond Crescents? We never had a recipe to go by!
Monica Reed said:
Love the family history associated with your cookie baking. My uncle was a Meisterkonditor in Vienna. Our family owned a Konditorei in Niederösterreich. We made Apfelstrudel today (and I adjusted the recipe due to look/feel…it’s a thing). Fröhliche Weinachten!