In Germany, what is the traditional spiced Christmas cookie called?

In Germany, the traditional spiced Christmas cookie is called Lebkuchen.

Lebkuchen is a honey-sweetened German baked good related to gingerbread. It may be soft and cake-like, molded into cookies, or made as a firmer bar. Typical recipes combine honey with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, ginger and allspice, plus nuts or candied fruit.

The tradition is especially associated with Franconia and Nuremberg. Bakers were recorded in Nuremberg by 1395, and the city’s famous Nürnberger Lebkuchen remains a major regional specialty. Some varieties are baked on a thin wafer called an Oblate, then glazed or coated in dark chocolate.

Printen is a related Aachen specialty, while Spekulatius is a different spiced biscuit and Stollen is a fruit-filled Christmas bread. They may all appear in German holiday baking, but Lebkuchen is the broad, canonical name for this traditional spiced Christmas treat.