Spiced shortcrust cookies, or gingerbread cookies, are surprisingly tasty and easy to prepare. I’d like to share my cherished recipe for cream-free or honey-free cookies with you.
Ingredients for gingerbread cookies:
- 240 grams, or 1.5 cups, of all-purpose wheat flour
- 120 g of real butter, or little more than half of a 200 g block
- Four tablespoons, or around 80 grams, of powdered sugar
- When cracked, a single large egg weighs roughly 60 g.
- Twenty grams (two tablespoons) of gingerbread spice
- One tablespoon, or eight grams, of cocoa powder (optional)
- One level teaspoon of baking soda
Ingredients for sugar glaze
- (20 ml; 2 tablespoons) of water
- 20 milliliters or two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Eighty grams, or almost four large tablespoons, of powdered sugar
Cookies made of gingerbread
Step 1: Add the spices to the melted butter.
Fill the kettle with 120 grams of butter. Add two spoons of fine gingerbread spice (without flour or sugar) and one flat spoon of cocoa. Using low heat, bring the mixture to a uniform temperature or until the butter is melted completely. Prevent boiling of the mixture. Put the saucepan away so it can cool.
Advice: You can add more cinnamon or use the same quantity of carob powder in place of the cocoa.
Step 2: Mix powdered sugar, baking soda, and flour.
Fill a bigger basin with 240 grams of cake flour or all-purpose wheat flour. A flat teaspoon of baking soda and eighty grams of powdered sugar should also be added. Blend all ingredients together well with a kitchen whisk or by sifting them into a another container.
Step 3: Mix the remaining ingredients with the cooled mixture and egg.
Add one large egg to the dry ingredients and crack it. While constantly swirling, pour the cooled butter and spice combination into the basin; the mixture may still be slightly warm.
It eventually becomes more sensible to combine the dough with your hands. Work them into a uniformly smooth dough. It need to emerge flexible and compact.
Step 4: Let the cake cool for an hour.
When the dough is ready, place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight, covered tightly with plastic wrap. The dough will soften and get more elastic after cooling.
Cut and bake the gingerbread cookies in step five.
Transfer the dough to a pastry board or a cleaned counter. It is also required to sift flour onto the surface. Roll out the dough until it is at least 4 mm thick. Use any Christmas pattern cutter to cut out cookies.
Gingerbread cookies: Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Arrange the sliced gingerbreads on a baking tray, side by side. Make sure to give the cookies plenty of room to spread out in the oven while they are still rising. Knead remaining dough after cutting the first batch of cookies, then roll out again after adding a new piece of dough. Slice up some more gingerbread. Using all of the dough in this manner
Set the oven’s temperature to 180°. Place each portion (top/bottom) on the center shelf and bake. For twelve minutes, bake the cookies. After baking, you can remove them right away and let them cool on a wire rack.
Step 6: Cover the cakes with icing.
Although it’s not necessary, you can dip the cookies in the sweet icing and allow them dry fully. In a bowl, combine 20 milliliters of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add 80 grams of sugar powder to that. Blend the ingredients until a thin, smooth frosting is achieved. Coat cookies in gingerbread. Lay each piece out on a wire rack to dry. Preheat the oven to 50 to 60 degrees to expedite this process.
Advice: The more powdered sugar you use, the thicker the frosting will be. It will become more noticeable and dry faster.
Step 7: Make extra ornaments
If the icing hasn’t dried fully, cookies can be adorned with colored sprinkles or edible sugar icing.
If the gingerbreads are not consumed the day they are baked, they can be stored in a kitchen cabinet or a loaf of bread after being loosely wrapped in breakfast paper, put in a regular bag, or breakfast bags.
But it’s preferable to put them in a specific box meant to hold baked goods or cans. They can keep for a week or longer if they are fresh.
Savor your food.
