Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Icing (Perníčky)
User Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Additional Time
1 d
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Total Time
1 d 30 mins
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Servings
30 pieces
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Calories
77 kcal
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Course
Baked Goods
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Cuisine
Czech
Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Icing (Perníčky)
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Pernicky, delightful Christmas cookies from the Czech Republic, are infused with the aromatic spices of cloves, anise, and cinnamon. Adorned with sugar icing, these treats are a cherished staple on every Czech Christmas table!
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Ingredients
Czech gingerbread spice:
- 1 anise star
- ½ teaspoon anise seed
- 4 cloves
- 3 allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pernicky dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons bee honey
- ½ stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon dark cocoa powder unsweetened
- ½ Tablespoon Czech gingerbread spice see the list of spices above
Sugar icing:
- ½ egg white
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Potato Starch
Misc.:
- 1 egg yolk to brush the baked Pernicky cookies for a shiny look
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Instructions
- Grind the gingerbread spices: 1 anise star, ½ teaspoon anise seed, 4 cloves, 3 allspice, and remove any larger particles by sifting the mixture through a coarse sieve. Mix the ground spices with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Melt ½ stick unsalted butter and, if your 3 Tablespoons bee honey are granulated, melt them as well.
- Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon dark cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon baking soda, then sift these dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ Tablespoon Czech gingerbread spice, 1 egg, melted butter, and honey.
- First, use a fork to mix the ingredients until they form compact chunks. Then, carefully transfer the mixture onto a work surface and knead it by hand into a smooth, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap the Pernicky dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
- Roll out the rested dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about ⅛ inch. Cut out your desired shapes from the dough, carefully lift them with a pastry spatula, and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F and bake the pernicky cookies for 8 minutes. The baking time depends on the cookie size; smaller ones need less time, while larger shapes will require a minute or two longer in the oven.
- If you want your gingerbread cookies to have a shiny surface, prepare 1 egg yolk in a bowl and beat it with a fork. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, brush them thinly with the yolk. The heat from the gingerbread will cause the egg yolk to firm up, creating a glossy layer.
- Prepare the sugar icing by sifting 1 cup icing sugar and 1 Tablespoon potato starch into a bowl. Add ½ egg white and mix well until you achieve a thick glaze. The icing should be thick enough that, when you scoop it with a spoon, it doesn't run off but falls down in chunks.
- Pour the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a #2 or #3 piping tip and decorate the gingerbread cookies to your liking. Allow the iced cookies to dry overnight before placing them in a box.
Notes
- STORAGE:
- The basic recipe makes about 30 pernicky cookies (depends on their size)
- STORAGE: When removed from the oven, the Pernicky cookies are crispy. To soften them, place them in a paper box with a lid. Line the paper box with kitchen paper towels and stack the gingerbread inside. Cover the box and store it in a cool, dark place. The breathable paper box allows the gingerbread to absorb moisture, softening the cookies over time.
- If you want soft pernicky for Christmas, bake them 3-4 weeks in advance and store them as described above.
- The most popular gingerbread cookie cutters in the Czech Republic include star, comet, gingerbread man, bell, Christmas tree, angel, or fish shapes.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
77kcal
(4%)
Carbohydrates
14g
(5%)
Protein
1g
(2%)
Fat
2g
(3%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
Trans Fat
0.1g
Cholesterol
16mg
(5%)
Sodium
40mg
(2%)
Potassium
20mg
(1%)
Fiber
0.3g
(1%)
Sugar
7g
(14%)
Vitamin A
64IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
0.03mg
(0%)
Calcium
5mg
(1%)
Iron
0.5mg
(3%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 30pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 77 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 77kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 14g | 5% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 2g | 3% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2g | 1% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 16mg | 5% |
| Sodium | 40mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 20mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 64IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 0.03mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 5mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.5mg | 3% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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