Aachener Printen
BakeNov to Dec
Aachener Printen suit anyone stopping in Aachen between Brussels and Cologne who wants a spiced biscuit with more bite than Lebkuchen, and the trade-off is that the hard original can be tough on teeth. Ask for Weichprinten if you want them soft.
The name
Printe
From English print and Dutch prent, a pressed impression, after the carved moulds the dough was once pressed into.
german
SourceWhere to eat Aachener Printen
- Aachen Christmas MarketAachen
The market's own site says visitors come for the smell of Printen and Glühwein around the cathedral and the town hall.
Printen are a brown Lebkuchen from Aachen, dark and sharply spiced, made without any fat and sweetened mostly with sugar-beet syrup, brown sugar and rock-sugar crumbs. The spice mix runs to cinnamon, anise, cloves, cardamom, coriander and allspice with candied peel and ginger, and each maker keeps its proportions secret. The EU protects Aachener Printen as a PGI, and only bakers in Aachen and the neighbouring towns of Alsdorf, Baesweiler, Eschweiler, Stolberg and Würselen may use the name.
The word comes from print, the Dutch prent and the Aachen dialect word Prente for an impression or a press. It points back to the carved wooden moulds that 15th-century bakers pressed honey dough into, a craft German Wikipedia says came to Aachen with coppersmiths from the Dinant area. Sources disagree on when the modern Printe was born. German Wikipedia dates it to about 1820, after Napoleon's blockade cut off cane sugar and bakers turned to beet syrup, while English Wikipedia says the Printe took its present form in 1806.
The old Aachen firms still bake them. German Wikipedia names Lambertz, van Rey, Nobis, Leo van den Daele, Drouven and Klein among the traditional makers. Printen also go into the city's cooking: they thicken and season the sauce of Rhenish Sauerbraten, and the 35 percent Printenlikör is made from them. Aachen has a second Christmas PGI too, the Aachener Weihnachts-Leberwurst.
Worth knowing
- Expect Printen as Bruch, broken slabs, more often than whole moulded figures; that's how most bakers sell them.
- Order Rhenish Sauerbraten in an Aachen restaurant if you want to taste Printen cooked into a sauce.
Quick answers about Aachener Printen
What are Aachener Printen?
Aachener Printen are a hard, dark Lebkuchen from Aachen, made without fat and sweetened mainly with sugar-beet syrup. The name is an EU protected geographical indication.
Where can Aachener Printen be made?
Only in Aachen and the neighbouring towns of Alsdorf, Baesweiler, Eschweiler, Stolberg and Würselen.
What is the difference between Printen and Lebkuchen?
Printen are a kind of Lebkuchen. They contain no fat, are sweetened mostly with sugar-beet syrup and are traditionally hard, while Nuremberg's Lebkuchen are soft and rich in nuts.
How do you order Aachener Printen?
Say which texture you want. Hartprinten are the hard original, and Weichprinten are soft because the dough carries more honey. Kräuterprinten are the plain spiced kind and Schokoladenprinten come coated in chocolate. Buy them from an Aachen bakery or at the Christmas market around the cathedral and the town hall.
When is Aachener Printen in season?
Aachener Printen: Baked for autumn and winter and sold all year in Aachen. The Christmas market runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026.