Easy Gingerbread Cookies
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
8 mins
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Additional Time
1 hr
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Course
Dessert
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Cuisine
International
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
Description
Easy Gingerbread Cookies are made by gently heating honey and brown sugar with warm spices and butter to create a smooth base. After removing star anise and cooling slightly, eggs are incorporated followed by dry ingredients including flour, salt, and baking powder. The result is a cohesive, moderately sticky dough that is chilled overnight to simplify rolling and cutting.
The dough is rolled to about 0.5-0.7 mm thick and cut into shapes such as hearts, stars, and bells. Baked cookies hold their form well and can be decorated with an icing made from egg whites, powdered sugar, and lemon juice, or candy accents for festive presentation.
Chilling the dough allows the flavors to meld and the texture to firm for easier handling. The spices create a warm, complex aroma and flavor typical of gingerbread, complemented by the slight bitterness from cocoa. These cookies provide a classic holiday treat suitable for decorating and sharing.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 250 g honey
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 nutmeg
- 1 cardamom powder
- 1 star anise
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100 g butter
- 500 g flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
Decoration
- 1 egg white
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 2-3 lemon juice drops
- Candy colored
Instructions
How to make GINGERBREAD:
- Place the sugar and honey on a low heat.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, aniseed, butter, and cocoa and heat until the mixture is homogeneous, and the sugar and butter are completely melted.
- Take the mixture off the heat, remove the aniseed, and set aside for 3-4 minutes.
- Beat the egg gently then fold into the honey mixture.
- Sift the flour together with the salt and baking powder and make a well in the center.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the well and start kneading.
- You will get a homogeneous dough that is slightly sticky. But don't worry if it doesn't come off your fingers very easily; just leave it like that.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill overnight. It can be left in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Divide the dough in two and roll out a sheet of each piece, not too thin - about 0.5-0.7mm thick or 0.02-0.03 inch, then cut the dough into the desired shapes.
- I used little hearts, stars, and bells as that's what we had in the house.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit).
- Place the shapes on the tray and bake for 7-8 minutes, taking out before it changes color.
- Remove from the oven, leave on the tray for 2-3 minutes (as it will be quite soft) then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
- For the garnish, mix egg white with a pinch of salt and 2-3 drops of lemon juice.
- Add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixign well after each addition.
- You should have a creamy glaze that doesn't lose its shape. Add more sugar if necessary.
- Decorate each gingerbread with the icing and colored sugar balls.
- Enjoy!
Notes
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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