Homemade Gingerbread Cookies Comeback
It has been quite a while since I made gingerbread cookies. I did not make them last December as we had just discovered Ikea’s VINTERSAGA Ginger thins. The spiced (ginger, cinnamon, cloves) biscuits were so good that I forgot all about making my own gingerbread cookies. This year we did not have the opportunity to make a trip to Ikea. So I decided to make some myself. This year’s Christmas prep had already started with a trip for our Christmas tree.
Finding the Recipe
The last time I baked something homemade for the holidays, it was a batch of muffins. As usual, I randomly picked a gingerbread recipe from the Internet. After browsing the web and clicking on a few sites, I narrowed down to the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I believe it might have been the recipe’s photo of chubby, colourfully decorated gingerbread men that called to me. As luck would have it, it was a great choice.
Ingredients, With One Swap
It was a classic gingerbread recipe with the usual spices: ginger, cloves and cinnamon. However, there was no nutmeg; instead, allspice was used. I had all the spices but was missing molasses. It was an ingredient I knew I wouldn’t find in the local supermarkets, based on past experience. Instead, I replaced the molasses with the maple syrup that I had at home for pancakes.
Cutting Out the Cookies
Sally’s recipe stated that the cookie dough should be left chilled for at least 3 hours. It could be chilled for up to 3 days. So, wrapped in cling film, the light brown cookie dough went into the fridge. It stayed there for two days before I baked it. As I was making and tasting the spiced cookie dough (confession: more tasting than needed), I had a good feeling. I sensed the cookies would turn out well.
The First Batch
Two days later, also the last teaching day of 2023 at the university, I took out the chilled cookie dough. It was not as hard or dry as I had feared. With the various Christmas-themed cookie cutters, I cut out the gingerbread cookies—gingerbread man, ribbon, Christmas tree, star and snowflake. I used tiny chocolate chips for the gingerbread men’s eyes and coat buttons. Other than that, I did not bother much with decorating the cookies.
The cookies were a hit with both Silviu and me. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The first batch was a big one, at least 25 to 30 cookies. Between the two of us, we finished it within a week! We decided I would make a second batch for Grenoble, since we’d be travelling there for the New Year. We’d leave some behind for him to snack on after the holidays.
A Second Batch, With a Lesson
For the second batch, I made an error: I rolled the cookie dough too thin. I also used the same oven temperature and timing as before. Instead of the previous “crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside,” these turned out different. They became “crunchy on both the outside and the inside!” Moreover, the golden-brown hue of the cookies became more brown. Nevertheless, the taste of the cookies was still very flavourful! These would pair nicely with a mug of vin chaud.
Happy Holidays!