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In the Christmas bakery: Elisenlebkuchen from Rischart – Finally! Christmas! Winter! Gingerbread! Getting a behind-the-scenes look at Rischart had long been a dream of mine. Now, during the winter and Christmas season, I was given the opportunity, as the traditional Munich company Max Rischart's Backhaus KG tempts visitors with numerous Christmas delicacies and treats. Especially popular: Rischart's gingerbread, or rather their Elisen gingerbread in various varieties, as well as the new Elisen gingerbread confectionery. I recently had the great honor of being allowed to take a closer look at Rischart's production facility. For me, such a fine Rischart Elisenlebkuchen is a completely new experience. I want to share it with you.

Rischart Elisenlebkuchen Weihnachtsbaeckerei

The dough is placed on the wafers.

Production tour

After donning the appropriate Rischart attire, complete with cap and jacket, I headed straight to the production area. Everywhere I looked, there were different stations and departments; in every corner and every room, a different delicacy from the Rischart Christmas range was being prepared. As I wandered through the production rooms, I saw pallets of Christmas stollen here, trays of cookies, cinnamon stars, and pink hearts there. The air was filled with wonderful aromas. A true paradise. The destination: the gingerbread station. There, the wafers were being covered, piece by piece, with the Rischart gingerbread dough. And this dough is quite special. Unlike the standard recipe, the Rischart gingerbread dough contains not just 251,000 grams of nuts, but 301,000 grams, and less than the maximum permitted 101,000 grams of flour in gingerbread dough. This means a significant improvement in the quality of the dough – in appearance, consistency, and of course, taste – and a clear advantage compared to other gingerbread on the market. The result of this decision: Rischart Elisen gingerbread is fluffy and light, yet substantial, and has a deliciously intense nutty flavor without being too sweet.

The baked gingerbread is coated with chocolate.

What makes Rischart's Elisenlebkuchen so special

A total of seven different varieties are offered. The dough is always the same, but the glaze is different each time. The available coatings include milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white icing, clear icing, with almond kernels, "naked" with walnuts and a little chocolate, and – brand new and absolutely delicious – white chocolate. If you ask me, all the varieties taste heavenly. The most popular are the classics with dark chocolate couverture, while my personal favorites are the ones with icing and the white chocolate. What makes each of the chocolate coatings stand out is its top quality. It comes from Switzerland and is supplied to Rischart by Callebaut. Of course, no artificial additives are used, and only the minimum amount of leavening agent is present in the gingerbread. A little is necessary for the gingerbread to rise. When you break a finished Rischart Elisenlebkuchen in half, you'll first see how nutty yet airy and soft the gingerbread is inside, and at the same time, you'll notice the exceptional thickness of the couverture. Rischart doesn't skimp here either, and so the Elisenlebkuchen is generously and evenly coated with the finest chocolate. The gingerbread is also available in a star shape ("honey cake star"), but the dough is different, giving you another opportunity to taste the difference between an Elisenlebkuchen and a "normal" gingerbread.

Some varieties of Elisenlebkuchen

Quality and origin of the ingredients

What makes Rischart's Christmas bakery so special and consistently high-quality is the rigorous quality management system. Samples are taken from every product daily, and the consistency of the dough, the taste, and much more are checked to ensure that only the very best ends up on display for us, the customers. For Rischart, the regional sourcing of ingredients is also crucial in their gingerbread and cookie production. The eggs for the dough are of the highest quality and, like most of the other ingredients, come from the Munich region. The flour comes from Upper and Lower Bavaria; the quark, milk, and cream from the Berchtesgaden region. So, when you buy Rischart's Elisenlebkuchen, you're guaranteed a high-quality and exceptionally delicious gingerbread. Every single day (!), 6,000 to 7,000 eggs are used for gingerbread production, and on average, Rischart uses 23 tons of German branded butter, 6 tons of Lübeck marzipan, 4 tons of hazelnuts, 5 tons of almonds, 6 tons of chocolate, and 5 tons of sultanas during the Christmas season, to name just a few of the ingredients. Incredible, isn't it? In total, Rischart bakes and sells over 80,000 Elisenlebkuchen (a type of German gingerbread) during the Christmas season, and including the pre-season, that number exceeds 100,000. That alone should show that these little Christmas delicacies aren't just a favorite of mine, because even I couldn't eat that many! 😉

After "setting", it goes into the oven.

This is how Rischart's Elisenlebkuchen is made

For Rischart's perfect gingerbread, the eggs are first cracked and then mixed with nuts and flour. This mixture is left to stand for a while to soak and is then spread onto wafers in a separate section. The gingerbread is left to set overnight, allowing it to retain its shape and taste exactly as it should. Before being coated with chocolate or icing, it is baked at 180-200 degrees Celsius for approximately 18 minutes. The finished gingerbread is available in the branches both individually (for €2.40 each) and in small bags containing five different varieties (five bags for €10.95). You can simply choose which varieties you would like, and they will be packaged for you on-site.

Elisenlebkuchen confectionery

For those who prefer small gingerbread bites, the Elisenlebkuchen confectionery, available for the first time this year, is a must-try. Eight mini Elisenlebkuchen pieces are offered in pretty little bags tied with a yellow ribbon. Perfect for any handbag and for anyone who wants to convince themselves they've eaten less gingerbread this year. 😉 Seriously though, the Elisenlebkuchen confectionery is perfect for a festive Advent table, as a gift, or as a snack with mulled wine and other treats. The dough is the same as the larger Elisenlebkuchen, so you get the same delicious taste, just in a smaller size. (Bags of 8 pieces for €4.90).

Doesn't that look absolutely delicious?

My personal conclusion
…I have to wait a moment here because while writing this, I got such a craving for Rischart gingerbread that I need to quickly grab one from my kitchen. …So… Okay, so: For me, it's important to emphasize the special features of this gingerbread once again. Made in a Munich bakery that couldn't be more traditional than Rischart, it's top quality, made with first-class ingredients, and tastes so good you forget every calorie. The taste is noticeably (!) different from other gingerbread. The price – especially compared to the quality and effort involved in the finished product – is absolutely justified. Even the coating is better than on many other gingerbreads. So, if you really want to eat, give as a gift, or simply have a very good gingerbread on your cookie plate, then you should definitely check out Rischart.

Rischart offers online in Shop on the website We also offer some specialties from our Christmas bakery. There you'll find the aforementioned honey cake stars, cinnamon star cookies, fruit bread, and the famous gold plate with various cookies and biscuits from Rischart. Treat yourself this Christmas season and indulge in some good things.

Tested: Elisenlebkuchen and Elisenkonfekt from Max Rischart's Backhaus KG
Available: Online in the shop or in all Rischart branches
Rischart production: Buttermelcherstraße 16 in the Glockenbachviertel