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Gingerbread cookies are among the most traditional and popular Christmas sweets. Children and parents have great fun both cutting them out and decorating them. However, finding a good recipe for gingerbread cookies that don’t harden is fairly difficult. That’s why we’re here to help and offer this recipe. With its help you can bake the gingerbread about a week before the Christmas holidays – they will stay soft for up to two weeks!
What is the secret of this dough?
Almost every pastry chef in the world will tell you that the secret of good gingerbread dough lies in rest. Therefore prepare the dough always the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. It is precisely thanks to this that you will achieve that the dough will be easy to work with, flavors will meld better, and fermentation will be faster – during baking the gingerbread will beautifully „rise“.
Another tip for great gingerbread cookies
When preparing dough for gingerbread cookies, work with ingredients at room temperature. Not only will the dough mix better, but the gingerbread will also have a better texture.
Required ingredients
To prepare 60 to 80 pieces (depending on how large your cookie cutters are) you will need:
- 250 g brown sugar,
- 2-3 tablespoons of honey,
- 2 eggs,
- 100 g of butter,
- 450 g flour (rye and wheat in equal proportions),
- 1 packet of baking powder,
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar,
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream,
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, anise.
How to prepare?
Prepare a bowl and place it over a water bath. Into it, stirring constantly, put the sugar, honey, eggs and butter. Create a creamy mixture. While still warm (but not hot) add the vinegar and the baking powder to the mixture. In another bowl mix the spices and flour. Into the now cooled honey mixture stir in the sour cream and finally the flour mixture. Knead a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and leave overnight in the fridge.
Baking
The next day, work the dough on a board, roll out a sheet about 3 mm thick and cut out different shapes. Bake for 5-7 minutes at 180 °C.
