Beautiful, delicious, and nearly impossible to pronounce (try to say weihnachtsplätzchen three times fast), these traditional cookies are delectably festive and worth adding to your cookie platter.
![Lebkuchen](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/BXQHiSqSRmLCb8jaxN5ANsm_KoA=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/201412-xl-lebkuchen-jeffrey-morgenthaler-2000-e450d0a4a3bb4a1aa0cb6ed97608045f.jpg)
Here are our best recipes for classic German Christmas cookies.
Hausfreunde
![Hausfreunde](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/f4cWGraTCG4chaMdWK6dlVCes0A=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-hausfreunde-f3169d95a7914dac9dd90f06b2aa8c51.jpg)
This recipe calls for dipping buttery almond-apricot sandwich cookies in bittersweet chocolate. The phenomenal results are well worth the effort.
Basler Leckerli
![Basler Leckerli](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/y_ITxBmlMx9hbHODUQ4quULDYYk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-basler-leckerli-98f52e8e805046d896be64d4ca02ff10.jpg)
These spiced cookie bars are an essential part of a German Christmas. They are an excellent make-ahead sweet; in fact, they get more tender and flavorful the longer they sit.
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are traditional, delicately spiced German molasses-ginger cookies. This recipe, from mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler was passed down from his great-grandmother to his grandmother to his uncle.
![Lebkuchen](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/BXQHiSqSRmLCb8jaxN5ANsm_KoA=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/201412-xl-lebkuchen-jeffrey-morgenthaler-2000-e450d0a4a3bb4a1aa0cb6ed97608045f.jpg)
Haselnussmakronen
These German raspberry-hazelnut macaroons require just five ingredients and are extremely no-fuss. “You just throw the dough together, heat up some jam and you’re almost there,” says Berlin-based blogger Luisa Weiss.
![Haselnussmakronen](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/8_5AB9F4SnL8wT4sCHyp83WuTgs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-haselnussmakronen-9c4308fcb0ec4942a91c3811bcffc45d.jpg)
Candy Cookies
![Candy Cookies](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/4KSf4Ojn9qsBon5ANTi3ps5RfDs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/HD-201011-r-baked-candy-cbff9e8a5ebd429a9e3ec0c3dbe562e4.jpg)
These truffle-like cookies are adapted from a traditional holiday cookie that baker Renato Poliafito discovered during his travels in Germany.