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It is funny how your heart can desire to be in two places at once. As our first holiday season back in the States in the last few years, I have been loving our time with family, cutting our Christmas tree and decorating our home. Even still, a bit of my heart misses Munich as the Christmas season in Germany is simply magical with their snowy weather, Christmas markets, and traditional holiday foods. Inspired by Charlie’s and my recent evening treat of an episode of ‘Gingerbread Land’ and to bring a bit of this magical Christmas flavor from Munich to South Carolina, I thought I would create Lebkuchen inspired gingerbread truffles. Spiced, rich and delicious, these quick, no-bake truffles are perfect for just about any holiday gathering (or giving as gifts like THESE!), so if you are looking for a true taste of Christmas, these are for you!

Lebkuchen

Famous from Nuremberg, lebkuchen is a spiced, gingerbread like German treat popular around the holidays. Spiced with a “Lebkuchen spice” (Lebkuchengewürz) often including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, anise, cardamom and ginger, Lebkuchen has a similar essence to gingerbread but includes less ginger and molasses and instead more honey, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts), fruit and chocolate. With a texture between a cake and cookie, this holiday dessert is frequently disk shaped with one or both sides coated in dark chocolate or a thin glaze.

Lebkuchen Inspired Gingerbread Truffles

Created with a soft yet slightly crumbly center, these gingerbread truffles bring together many of the textures and flavors of traditional lebkuchen by combining a spiced truffle base with a dark chocolate coating before topping with a sprinkle of toasted almonds, orange zest and chocolate drizzle. As lebkuchen is less ginger based than American gingerbread, I used Speculatius cookies (crispy, spiced shortbread cookies popular in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium) as the cookie crumbs in the truffle base. From there, more spices are added to the cream cheese and cookie crumb mixture to form the truffle balls. If you prefer the stronger ginger flavoring in American gingerbread, feel free to add additional ginger than the recipe calls for, or switch from using the Speculatius cookies to gingersnap cookies for the cookie crumbs.

Recipe

Lebkuchen Inspired Gingerbread Truffles

Inspired by the classic German holiday treat, these truffles exude all the holiday flavors with notes of cinnamon, cloves, nuts, orange and chocolate. Perfect for any holiday party, this no-bake recipe comes together quickly and is sure to be a hit!

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Course Dessert

Servings 35 truffles

Ingredients

Truffle Base

4 cups Speculatius cookie crumbs from about 16 oz. of cookies
8 oz. Block cream cheese softened
½ tsp Ground cinnamon
½ tsp Ground cloves
½ tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Ground allspice
¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
¼ tsp Fresh ginger paste
¼ tsp Anise extract
½ tbsp. Milk optional, use as needed

Truffle Coating

10 to 12 oz Dark chocolate
¼ cup Chopped almonds toasted
Orange zest

Instructions

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Next, using a food processor (or rolling pin and Ziploc bag), blend the cookies until crushed into crumbs and no big pieces remain.
Next, add the cookie crumbs to a large bowl before mixing in the spices and extracts until evenly distributed.
Add the softened cream cheese to the cookie crumb and spice mixture and stir together until fully combined. The mixture should hold together when pressed together in a ball, but if still too crumbly, add in a splash or two of milk until the balls hold their shape. Be sure not to add too much milk to prevent making the mixture wet.
Roll roughly 1 tablespoon portions into balls and set on the lined baking tray. Once all the balls are rolled, set the balls into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
After the truffle centers have chilled, melt the chocolate (either by stovetop or in the microwave in 30 second increments) and dip each ball until fully covered. Set back on the parchment lined tray before sprinkling with toasted, chopped almonds and orange zest.
When all the truffles balls are finished, add any remaining chocolate into a piping bag or the pointed end of a Ziploc bag. Cut a small hole in the tip to drizzle the chocolate over the truffles.
Place truffles back in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill before serving. These Gingerbread Truffles can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days (if they last that long!). Enjoy!

Keyword Dessert, German, Party Food, Quick, Spiced

Final Thoughts

I love being transported to places through food and these lebkuchen inspired gingerbread truffles most definitely transport me back to warm German bakeries and chilly Christmas markets. Whether you love gingerbread and want to try a new recipe or are craving a taste of a German Christmas market, I definitely recommend adding this recipe to your holiday baking list. But I would love to know! Have you had lebkuchen? Would you make these truffles? Certainly, they aren’t a replica, but definitely a delicious dessert quite reminiscent, so try them out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Merry Christmas season!