Gingerbread Cookies

I wanted to make a Ginger Bread House from the time Shyama gave me the cutter last New year as a present. But as you all know it is decorated with so much sugar and sweets that i would be a bit too much for just us.

So I asked Shyama if I make one would you take to her place so that she can share with all ther friends from her group.

But then she remarked I do agree to her, that it would be too dicfficult for her to take a delicate ginger bread house as she has to go by train for 2 hours and then walk 15 minutes to the place she is staying. Also when she goes back on sunday evening her luggage is filled with all her clothes , then the food I prepare for her for the week and her books, then she has her violin with her etc....

So as you can see I decided tomake ginger bread cookies as this I can put in a tupper ware and she can take with her.

So that is what I did , made them on friday decorated the same day and anyway Vera  had mentioned in her place that the cookies can be kept for long, not that it would surive that lonf with a whole bunch of college students. I am sure it will be finished in a flash with them.

The original recipe you can see here she used half rye flour and half normal flour, but I used fully normal flour. And i have written in brackets the amount of spices I used.
I could make 4 tray's of cookies, I forgot to glaze them with egg mix in the first two tray's, but I don't think that made any difference.
The cookies are really good, and this is a Keeper recipe so I am sure going to make this every year from now on and they are so easy to make too. Thankyou Vera for the recipe.

All ready for Shyama to take with her :-)


500 gm flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder (Dutch processed)

2 tsp baking soda

120 g butter (at room temperature)

170 g honey

120 g sugar ( I used 90 gm)

3 tbsp milk or buttermilk

1 egg

Spices.

3 star anise (used 1)

4 cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon ( added a bit more)

¼ tsp ground ginger ( 1 tsp ginger)

¼ tsp fennel seeds

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp aniseed

To glaze:

1 egg yolk

1 tsp water

Icing:

1 egg white

170 g icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Food color of your choice to mix with the icing when you want to decorate with colors.

Start by grinding the spices in a grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Mix the spices with both flours, soda and cocoa in a large bowl. Add the butter, sugar and honey and mix well. Add the egg and milk and mix just enough to combine everything. Wrap the dough in plastic or put it in an air-tight container and let it rest in the fridge for up to 2 days, but at least overnight. This is important for the flavours to mingle.

On the baking day:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Take the dough out of the fridge about 15 min in advance. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 4-5 mm thick. Cut into shapes of your choice and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies do not spread much, but allow a little space between them. Mix the egg yolk with water and use the mixture to glaze the cookies.

Bake the cookies until crisp, about 10 to 12 min. Let them cool on a wire rack.

Icing:

Mix the egg white with sugar and lemon juice until smooth and shiny. If the glaze is too thin, add a little sugar. If it is too thick, add a little lemon juice. Put the icing in a small, but firm plastic bag. Cut off one corner, making a tiny opening for the glaze. Pipe your design on the cookies by applying a steady pressure on the bag.

Let the icing dry completely before putting the cookies in an air-tight container and storing them in a cool room. The cookies can be made up to 4 weeks before Christmas.
Sending this to 'Only' Cookies and Cakes event Which is hosted at Foodelicious.