Gingerbread Cookies
The Gingerbread Cookies, also known as Gingerbread are the quintessential Christmas Cookies indispensable during the holidays, the symbol that immediately brings the festive spirit.
Originally, they were in the shape of little men, but over time the same dough has been shaped into trees, bells, stars, houses and used to decorate the Christmas tree.
The dough used to make the Gingerbread Cookies is very tasty, with an intense and strong aroma of spices, primarily ginger, but also cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
The Gingerbread Cookies are not too crunchy, their texture is slightly soft, and they have a typical dark color given by molasses, with a particular taste reminiscent of licorice, which in Italy is often replaced with honey, although I encourage you to look for it because it is not the same.
Excellent to enjoy with a cup of tea for a snack or at breakfast with milk just like classic Christmas Cookies.
The recipe is very simple: just make a spiced shortcrust pastry like a classic tart and then once baked, decorate them with colored royal icing drawing whatever you like best.
To create these gingerbread cookies I used cookie cutters in various shapes such as trees, stars, bells, but nothing prevents you from changing the subject and using the cutters you already have at home, obtaining super tasty ginger and cinnamon cookies that will win over both adults and children.
And once ready, not only can you eat them, but you can also use them to decorate the tree or put them in bags or cookie boxes and give them as Christmas gifts.
I assure you that once you try these Gingerbread cookies, you won’t stop making them!
If after tasting these gingerbread cookies you want to try other Christmas sweets, I suggest
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 25
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 291.60 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 46.55 (g) of which sugars 24.49 (g)
- Proteins 4.33 (g)
- Fat 10.75 (g) of which saturated 6.76 (g)of which unsaturated 3.79 (g)
- Fibers 0.90 (g)
- Sodium 121.04 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (fine grain)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup molasses (or acacia honey)
- baking soda (1/2 teaspoon scant)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- to taste nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 oz egg white
- lemon juice (3 or 4 drops)
- food coloring
Tools
- Bowl
- Electric whisk
- Baking tray
- Cookie cutter
Steps
Put all the ingredients together in a bowl or a stand mixer, remembering that the butter must be cold from the refrigerator and cut into cubes. Work them to combine but not too much. Form a loaf, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours. You can also prepare it the day before.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and, if necessary, work it for a few seconds to make it elastic again but without warming it too much. Roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using the cookie cutters of your choice, cut out the gingerbread cookies and place them, well spaced apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 10 minutes. When they are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the Royal Icing. Put the sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice and whip the mixture with electric beaters for at least 5 minutes: it must become fluffy and the icing thick. Divide the mixture into equal parts in three bowls, leaving one with the natural white icing while in the other two add a pinch of coloring to achieve the desired color. Use parchment paper to create cones that you will use as piping bags.
Fill the paper cones with royal icing, cut the tip of the cone and start decorating the cookies. Once they are all decorated, let them rest at room temperature until the icing is completely dried. Here are your Gingerbread Cookies ready!
NOTES
Please remember to use cold butter because if it gets too warm, the dough will be less elastic and harder to roll out, and it may lose its shape during baking.
To achieve perfect cookies with a smooth surface, use fine brown sugar or classic sugar, but grind it in the mixer without turning it into powdered sugar.
To prepare the royal icing, I recommend using gel or powder colorants, and try to avoid liquid ones as they disrupt the proportions of the mixture.
Be careful when preparing the royal icing because the more it is whipped, the thicker it becomes: it shouldn’t be too thick, or it will be difficult to make thin, continuous lines. If this happens, you can soften it with a little egg white.
STORAGE
Once ready, you can store Gingerbread Cookies for up to a week in an airtight container. Over time, they lose their crunchiness and crispness. Alternatively, you can package them in transparent bags and give them as Christmas gifts. If you wish, you can prepare the dough the day before and let it rest overnight.
