A succulent combination of spices and a love of sweetness result in the famous ginger cookies and cinnamon, learn in this article the beautiful way to prepare this delicacy!
Origin of ginger and cinnamon cookies
Initially, it is necessary to know the origin of gingerbread, which was the initial name of these cookies, since due to the combination of flour and spices it was considered as bread, which was later renamed as ginger cookies and cinnamon, because they are crispy and have a sweet and bitter touch, these were born around the XNUMXth century, just for the middle ages, specifically in northern Europe,
The cooks and bakers gave themselves the task of preparing this mass of ginger and some other species, it was sweetened with molasses or honey, as they tasted they incorporated cinnamon, cloves, star and sweet anise, and the particular shape of a little man human, it was so recognized that they were made for Queen Elizabeth I of England and she gave it as a gift at palace celebrations only to the most distinguished guests.
Historians recount another version, where an Armenian monk named Gregory of Nicopolis in the City of Greece, was the first to make this mixture when he wanted to give a different flavor to traditional cookies, he named them gingerbread as dessert, He was distributing these gingerbread cookies wherever he travels, ending in France where he dedicated himself to showing this delicacy to other monks and thus he arrived in Europe.
What is notorious and important is knowing that ginger root was born in China and reaches Europe due to its ability to hide the flavor of preserved meats.
A season where they are found more frequently at Christmas time, in most homes it is common to see them in any presentation but with the same basic recipe, some substitute other species, but ginger is the main protagonist. for this season the confectionery stores, pastry shops and sweets are observed in great variety.
These cookies are very special, as the name alone leads you to think of ginger cookies, with a humanized shape, nice, with little hands without fingers, short legs, and in some cases without facial expression, although some people make eyes and smile at them, they put shirts, shorts, bow ties on them. These decorations are made with icing sugar of different colors, chocolate, candies. among others.
What is unmistakable is its flavor, aroma and essential ingredients.
Cinnamon Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Ginger has a strong, spicy and characteristic flavor, in fact the original recipe is just this root, but the combination with cinnamon makes the flavor somewhat succulent, without leaving aside the glass decoration, so let's describe this recipe of ginger cookies and cinnamon and step by step:
Tools to use
- Bowl
- Roller, had pastry or any cylinder that allows you to flatten the dough.
- Baking paper
- Film or plastic paper
- Gingerbread man, snowflake, tree, heart shaped cutter (any preferred cutter)
Ingredients for 30 units of ginger and cinnamon cookies (approximately)
- 01 egg
- 05 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 01 cup of brown sugar or whole cane sugar
- 01 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey (mild flavor is best)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Procedure
- Prepare the dry ingredients to have them ready, flour, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves, and perfectly ready when you need them, for this you must place them in a bowl, passing them through a sieve or strainer, it will help you prevent these ingredients form lumps, mix and aerate each other.
- In a bowl, place the butter and beat it to pomade point, it will take on a paler color.
- Add the brown sugar and blend with a blender or kitchen assistant until you see the fluffy mixture.
- Add the egg to continue beating
- When it is observed that it is homogeneous, integrate the honey and molasses alternating them.
- The organic ingredients that had been previously reserved will be added by tablespoons.
- When they are integrated, stop beating, so that the dough is not very worked and as a result the ginger and cinnamon cookies are not very hard.
- In the plastic paper or film, the dough divided into two equal parts should be placed.
- Flatten a little and take to the refrigerator for 15 minutes, this way the dough will harden and it will be easier to stretch it.
- Once the time has passed, take out one of the doughs, stretch with the roller on the baking paper, until you achieve a thickness that you like, not too thin, not too thick, approximately 5 to 6 mm.
- Put the dough back in the refrigerator stretched for 1 hour, this so that the dough reaches a very cold temperature and is easier to handle when cutting the ginger cookies and cinnamon.
- A variation is to put them in the freezer for 20 minutes if you're in a hurry.
- Preheat the oven to 180° up and down, without a fan (depending on your oven)
- In the same baking paper, remove the dough and proceed to cut the cookies to your liking and with the cutters you prefer.
- Carefully remove the edges that you have left over from the shapes you cut, this is kneaded again and the process of cooling and cutting the cookies is repeated.
- You take the cookie trays to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you see the darker color on the edges, which means they are ready.
- When you observe this, they are removed from the oven and left on the same tray for 8 minutes resting, after this time, place them on a rack to cool completely, this will allow them not to lose their shape.
If what causes you to make other types of cookies to accompany an afternoon snack, Oatmeal Cookies They are another excellent option, in the link you will be able to know this delicious recipe, easy and simple.
If you have house cutters or are good at measuring squares in the shape of houses, this is the perfect recipe to make the famous cookie houses, you just need to let your imagination run wild.
Authentic gingerbread cookie recipe
If you want to go back to the middle ages, you should know the initial recipe of this delicacy, only some ingredients of the previous recipe change:
- Replace honey with molasses, the consistency is very similar, but the flavor is more intense and its dark color will give more of everything to the cookies. Molasses is a derivative of sugar cane, take this into account when you have to buy the ingredients.
- Modify and increase the amounts of ginger and cinnamon, depending on whether you want more ginger or cinnamon flavor, however, this time it should contain more ginger.
Decoration of gingerbread cookies and cinnamon
There are countless decorations for cookies, the ginger and cinnamon ones combine very well with a royal icing meringue, here we explain how to get this and other more meringues that will go well with the ginger cookies and cinnamon.
- For the royal icing you will need: In a bowl, place an egg white, with the help of a rod mixer, gradually incorporate the icing sugar, snow sugar or powdered sugar, when you see that the whites are whiter, Finally, one or two tablespoons of lemon juice is added. Beat until icing forms peaks.
This mixture can be dyed the color you prefer, with kitchen coloring in gel, powder or liquid pastry.
- Another very succulent option is to melt white chocolate in a bain-marie, with the option of leaving it in its natural color or adding white dyes to make it brighter.
With both decorations you must form a small cone, or cone with the baking paper, fold the end and thus form a small decoration sleeve, then put the icing or chocolate on it and make the small and delicate details.
To finish you can place them by buttons, chocolate chips, candies, gummies, candy strips, edible glitter.
Recommendations for ginger and cinnamon cookies
- The quantities of the ingredients must be taken into account, with the previous recipe around 30 cookies come out, however, it will depend on the thickness in which you leave the dough when you stretch it, and the size of the cutters, the shapes, increase or decrease the proportions of the ingredients according to what you need.
- The true protagonists in terms of the flavor of the ginger cookies and cinnamon, are these two species, to continue being so, it is recommended to add a honey with a mild flavor, in the same way as with molasses if you want to make the cookies of the original recipe.
- If you buy brown sugar that is very thick, when mixed with the butter it will not be easy to dissolve, you will see dots in the cookies after baking; To avoid this, grind the sugar before using it, pass it for a few minutes through the blender in small quantities, in this way the ginger cookies and cinnamon will come out perfect, nice and smooth.
- In addition to this, it is highly advisable to obtain brown sugar, whole cane sugar or panela of good quality, the natural will always be more original in flavor.
- To cut the cookies, any shape and utensil you have is feasible, such as tube glasses, deep lids, and if you dare to make straight lines, one option is to make squares with a kitchen knife, this will not be an impediment.
- When storing them, initially keep in mind that they must be completely cold, a glass container with a good seal is great, if it is a much better metal can, they will last for several days and in perfect condition.
- Just as ginger is used in these cookies, this type of spice is almost as versatile as garlic, and goes well with meat, poultry, fish or vegetables.
- There are several presentations of ginger, such as crystallized, dry, in syrup, natural, ground and all these presentations are valid when preparing this recipe for ginger cookies and cinnamon.
- It will always depend on what you want to highlight, if it is the flavor of ginger it is placed more, if it is cinnamon or another spice that you want.
- Before baking them, you can open a small hole in the upper part of the cookie, with a straw, straw or cigarette, after being cold a decorative ribbon is inserted, and it will serve as decoration in any of our celebrations.
- With only icing sugar and a juice strainer, it can be used to make our ginger and cinnamon cookies snowy, you take two tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Ginger and cinnamon cookies for vegans
For vegans, they always look for an alternative when it comes to eating, and this divine dessert does not come out of those options, that is why here we name the recipe for ginger cookies and cinnamon for vegans.
- 1/2 cups coconut oil
- 1/4 cups of sugar
- 02 cups of flour
- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoons of cloves
-
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons of salt
For the elaboration it is the same procedure of the traditional cookies before mentioned, the same time of refrigeration, of rest, of flattening, what is important is to observe the cookies when they go to the oven, since by containing baking powder they cook more Quick.
They are decorated with glass made with almond milk and maple syrup, lemon juice, shake very well and ready.
