This holiday season, fill your home with the sweet and spicy aroma of gingerbread cookies.
Our recipe for gingerbread cookies
2 Tbsp. butter
7 oz. honey
1 large egg
1 cup flour
⅔ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
salt
1 Tbsp.cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ginger
2 cloves, finely minced
½ tsp. nutmeg
Melt the butter and honey together, then add the egg, flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and a pinch of salt. Knead the dough and let it rest for at least two hours (overnight is best as the flavors absorb longer). Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough and cut out the cookie shapes with your desired stencils. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Decorating gingerbread cookies
To make royal icing, you only need egg whites and powdered sugar in a ratio of 1:5 – so if you use 1 Tbsp. egg whites, you’ll need to add ¼ cup. Whip together using a mixer, adding the sugar to the egg whites a little at a time. The consistency must be dense and compact. If the icing seems too liquidy, add more powdered sugar. And if it seems too tough or firm, add some lemon juice.
Once ready, transfer the icing to a pastry bag with a spout as thin as a pen or pencil tip. Cover the cookies with sugar paste and decorate the cookies. If you don't have a steady hand, just attach chocolate buttons using edible glue. If you plan to hang them on the tree or use the cookies as placeholders, make a small hole before baking. Once baked, let cool then add small colored ribbons.
The classic gingerbread house
The recipe for the dough is the same as the cookies. Just cut out the various dimensions of the house and glue them together using royal icing. The fun part is decorating the house with candies and chocolate — a fun activity for the kids!
