Basler Läckerli (also spelled Leckerli) are traditional Swiss spice biscuits or cookies with a firm and chewy texture, filled with crunchy nuts and candied citrus, and finished with a sweet glaze. They're cut into small rectangles and are popular at Christmastime but are excellent year-round.

The name Basler Läckerli (Leckerli) essentially translates to "little tasty/delicious things from Basel." This is an apt description for these universally loved morsels.
It is believed that leckerli were first made over 700 years ago in the Middle Ages by local spice merchants. They're essentially a type of gingerbread originating in Basel, Switzerland but are also beloved throughout Germany.
Leckerli have a fantastic chewy texture from the honey and feature a combination of fall and winter spices, along with sweet, fruity and nutty flavors. These petite glazed bars are truly perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, and they're a welcome addition to any holiday cookie tray.
When making homemade läckerli, time is your best friend. The longer the dough has to rest before baking, the more flavor it will develop. Additionally, the longer the baked bars have to rest in an airtight container, the better their flavor and texture will become.
Ingredient notes
- Candied Lemon and Orange Peel: I use candied Sicilian orange peel and lemon peel which I chop myself (each was about $6 in 2022 at Whole Foods). It's more natural and doesn't contain any corn syrup. Paradise is a popular brand for candied orange peel and candied lemon peel, which comes already chopped but contains corn syrup. You can also use an equal total amount of mixed peel instead of separate candied orange peel and candied lemon peel (100 grams or ⅔ cup).
- Almonds: Use unsalted almonds for this läckerli recipe. I like to roughly chop them to a similar size as my candied citrus peels (about ¼-inch pieces) to yield a more noticeable textural contrast when eating the läckerli, but you could chop them smaller if you'd like.
- Honey: Use a lighter honey like clover, orange blossom, or wildflower rather than a dark honey like buckwheat.
- Kirschwasser: Kirschwasser is a clear, colorless cherry brandy. If you have trouble finding Kirschwasser (Kirsch for short) ask your local liquor store if they will do a special order for you, since not every liquor store may carry it. You can also make your own Kirsch from cherry brandy essence (20 ml). Pour the contents of the bottle along with 280 grams of granulated sugar into an empty one liter bottle. Add 770 ml of neutral vodka. Then shake vigorously until the sugar has completely dissolved.
How to make it
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, baking powder, salt, almonds, candied peels, fresh zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir on low to combine.
Add the honey and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch.
Pour the hot honey mixture into the mixer bowl with the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined (it will be fairly thick and sticky).
Scrape the leckerli dough onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. With a sturdy rubber spatula or the flat side of a plastic bowl scraper press and spread it into a rectangular shape measuring about 9-by-12-inches.
Pat the top with wet fingers to flatten and smooth it out if necessary. Work quickly while the dough is still warm because it will be harder to shape once the dough cools.
Cover the pan with a clean dish towel. Set it aside to rest for about 2 hours or up to overnight.
Dock the top of the dough with the tines of a fork, about 1 to 2 inches apart. This will help the glaze saturate the bars later.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with the oven rack in the center. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and kirsch in a small bowl. As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, evenly brush the top of the dough slab with the glaze.
Carefully use the parchment paper to slide the baked dough (along with the parchment paper) from the hot pan onto a cutting board. While the slab is still warm, use a sharp knife to trim and remove the edges.
Then cut the remaining baked dough into 48 approximately 1-by-2-inch rectangular bars. Cut 12 across the long edge and 4 across the short edge.
Cool the cut bars completely before serving.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Store Basler Läckerli in an airtight container. They’re best after at least 1 day so they can soften and mellow a bit, but are better after even 1 week. They will keep for up to 2 months in a sealed container at room temperature.
If after a period of time the cookies harden too much, add a couple apple wedges to the sealed container (swapping out for fresh ones weekly) to re-soften the cookies.
It’s easier to spread and flatten out the leckerli dough if you have someone help by holding down the edges of the parchment paper on the sheet pan so it doesn’t slide around as you work.
My preferred method is using the flat side of a plastic bowl scraper to help spread the warm dough into a rectangle. This is a versatile kitchen tool with countless uses, and it works very nicely here as well!
If you happen to trap any air under the dough as you spread and flatten it out, you may get some air bubbles as it bakes (even after docking holes with a fork). Just quickly poke the air bubbles with your fork if needed and they will deflate. Be careful not to open the oven door for too long if this happens.
You can snack on the trimmings from the leckerli edges, but they will be dryer and crunchier than the interior pieces, especially on the day they are baked. They'll soften and get chewy instead of crunchy after sitting in an airtight container for 1+ days along with the rest of the leckerli bars.
Other recipes you may like
- Pfeffernüsse (Iced German Spice Cookies)
- Perníčky (Czech Gingerbread Cookies)
- Pain d'Épices (Bouchon Bakery French Gingerbread Loaf)
- Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
- Apfelstrudel (Austrian Apple Strudel)
- Rotweinkuchen (German Red Wine Cake)
- Aargauer Rüeblitorte (Swiss Carrot Cake)
- Zuger Kirschtorte (Swiss Cherry Torte from Zug)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Basler Läckerli / Leckerli (Swiss Spiced Cookie Bars)
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 95 grams (¾ cup) chopped almonds
- 50 grams (⅓ cup) chopped candied orange peel
- 50 grams (⅓ cup) chopped candied lemon peel
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated orange zest from about ½ an orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 225 grams (⅔ cup) honey
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Kirschwasser (kirsch)
Glaze:
- 50 grams (½ cup) confectioners’ (powdered/icing) sugar
- 2 tablespoons Kirschwasser (kirsch) or water
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, almonds, candied peels, fresh zest, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir on low to combine.
- Add the honey and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 7 to 10 minutes. The mixture should be hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch.
- Pour the hot honey mixture into the mixer bowl with the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined (it will be fairly thick and sticky).
- Scrape the dough onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet, and with a sturdy rubber spatula or the flat side of a plastic bowl scraper press and spread it into a rectangular shape measuring about 9-by-12-inches. Pat the top with wet fingers to flatten and smooth it out if necessary. Work quickly while the dough is still warm because it will be harder to shape once the dough cools.
- Cover the pan with a clean dish towel and set it aside to rest for about 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Dock the top of the dough with the tines of a fork, about 1 to 2 inches apart (this will help the glaze saturate the bars later).
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with the oven rack in the center. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and kirsch in a small bowl. As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, evenly brush the top of the dough slab with the glaze.
- Carefully use the parchment paper to slide the baked dough (along with the parchment paper) from the hot pan onto a cutting board. The cookies are easier to cut while the baked dough is still warm, and will be more difficult to cut once it cools. While the slab is still warm, use a sharp knife to trim and remove the edges, and cut the remaining baked dough into 48 approximately 1-by-2-inch rectangular bars (cut 12 across the long edge and 4 across the short edge). Cool the cut bars completely before serving.
Notes
- Store Basler Läckerli in an airtight container. They’re best after at least 1 day so they can soften and mellow a bit, but are better after even 1 week.
- They will keep for up to 2 months in a sealed container at room temperature. If after a period of time the cookies harden too much, add a couple apple wedges to the sealed container (swapping out for fresh ones weekly) to re-soften the cookies.
- You can use an equal total amount of mixed peel instead of separate candied orange peel and candied lemon peel (100 grams or ⅔ cup for the regular, not doubled, recipe).
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
John Sweeney says
So glad I found this recipe! We've already made them 3 times...they just keep disappearing ;^)
Thank you!
Victoria says
I should call these disappearing magical cookies! They disappear in my house too! 😉
Autumn Silverton says
I made these but spread out to about 1/2 in in thickness before baking. these bars came out hard more like a biscotti.Did I spread these to thin before baking them? I cooked them for 15 mins at 425
Victoria says
Hi Autumn,
Did you spread them to the correct dimensions? Did you follow the recipe to a T and let the dough rest for at least 2 hours or overnight before baking? If you changed anything in the recipe, including the thickness of the dough, this could yield different results and it's possible you overbaked them if you spread them any thinner than the recipe stated. As noted in the recipe, these cookies are best usually after resting overnight in an airtight container. The edges in particular can be a bit firm and crunchy which is why I always trim them off and save them for snacking, while the interior pieces are usually delightfully chewy. If you follow the recipe exactly, the bars WILL soften a bit and get chewy after a day or so. Did they soften at all after storing overnight? If they didn't, you likely overbaked them but you can try storing them with a couple apple wedges in a sealed container to try and soften them up. These tips are included in my post and the recipe card. I hope this helps.
Ron O. says
Hi. Today, I am making this recipe for the second time. It’s awesome. My wife’s sister used to bring us commercial leckerli from Switzerland, and I loved it then. I love it even more now that I can make it myself. The flavours are terrific, the directions are very clear. Only one suggestion is made. If, when smoothing the leckerli, if the spatula is wet very gently, it makes smoothing the leckerli much easier. Thanks for a great recipe.
Flo says
Fantastic flavor and relatively easy to make my family is addicted to this biscuit, my dad brought them back from Switzerland when ever he visited for business - we all want to scoff our faces with the squares & now my daughter is addicted to them as well! I am so glad I found your recipe thank you