Getting gingerbready for the holidays
‘Tis the season, the most wonderful time of the year.
This year the holidays look and feel different, with cancelled trips home and newly empty chairs reminding us that we are all still building our new normal.
Uncertainty and homesickness led me to one of my biggest vices: baking.
I endeavored to conjure some holiday magic by baking and decorating homemade gingerbread cookies. These cookies are crisp, filled with warming ginger and cinnamon, and sweet enough to satisfy your craving without being too sweet.
I hope these cookies will bring you comforting holiday cheer, and that you enjoy one or two (or five) with no shame or guilt. The eggless royal icing will let you flex your Instagram-worthy icing skills without worrying about the raw eggs which traditionally are used to give royal icing its shine and stiffer texture.
Gingerbread cookies
Ingredients:
350g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g unsalted butter
175g light brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup (can substitute golden syrup or honey)
1 large egg, beaten
Yields: 35-40 ~3 inch cookies
Method:
1) Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F
2) Lightly grease or line at least 2 baking sheets
3) Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon) in a bowl
4) Slice or cube butter and drop it into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter with clean and dry fingers until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs
5) Stir in the sugar until well-distributed
6) Add maple syrup and beaten egg. Mix to form a dough, kneading with your hands if required once already mixed
7) Divide the dough in half (or more if counterspace is limited) and roll onto a lightly floured surface until the dough is roughly 0.2-0.25 inches thick. For softer cookies, the dough can be rolled out slightly thicker but will require a longer baking time
8) Cut out cookies using any cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheets
9) Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes for thinner cookies and 12-15 minutes for thicker cookies until they darken slightly. The dough is darker than a sugar cookie, so keep an eye on them to make sure they are not burning
10) Remove cookies from the baking tray and cool before decorating
11) Repeat this process with remaining dough
This modified recipe is inspired by the legendary Mary Berry’s gingerbread cookie recipe in her Baking Bible
Royal icing
Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
3 teaspoons skim milk
2 teaspoons light agave syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ziploc bag / piping bag for decorating
Toothpick or other thin pointy device for touching up your decorating job
Method:
1) Put confectioners sugar in a bowl
2) With a handheld whisk or electric mixer, pour in milk, agave, and vanilla extract
3) Whisk or beat gently until a stiff, thick, slightly shiny white icing forms
4) Quickly transfer the icing into a Ziploc or piping bag to prevent the icing from hardening
5) Cut a small hole in the bag, and using a light to moderate amount of pressure, squeeze the icing out of the bag to decorate the cookies
6) Use the toothpick (or alternative) to adjust any decoration that is not to your liking, or to fill in (“flood”) a shape you created. This is the technique I used on the snowmen’s hats!
My dear friends, I hope these cookies bring you a feeling of being home for the holidays no matter where you are.
Authentically,
Cate