Christmas Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
6 servings
60 minutes
Christmas spiced gingerbread cookies are a fragrant embodiment of winter coziness and festive spirit. Their roots trace back to medieval Europe, where spices were considered valuable and used in baking for special occasions. Ginger adds a slight spiciness to these cookies, while cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom create a warm, rich flavor. Maple syrup adds caramel notes and lemon glaze refreshes the aftertaste. These cookies are perfect for Christmas tea gatherings, decorating the table and delighting guests. Their festive shapes – stars, trees, snowmen – make them not just a treat but also part of the winter atmosphere. They pair wonderfully with hot chocolate or mulled wine, creating cozy moments with family.
1
Beat soft butter at room temperature with sugar in a mixer until fluffy and homogeneous.
- Butter: 100 g
- Brown sugar: 100 g
2
Lightly beat the egg separately. Then add it along with the maple syrup to the butter mixture and beat well again.
- Chicken egg: 1 piece
- Maple syrup: 2 tablespoons
3
In a separate bowl, mix the flour with baking soda and all the spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg).
- Whole wheat flour (stone-ground): 250 g
- Baking soda: 0.5 teaspoon
- Ground cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
- Ground ginger: 1.5 teaspoon
- Ground nutmeg: pinch
- Ground cardamom: 0.5 teaspoon
4
Combine both mixtures (oil and dry) and whisk until a homogeneous dough forms. Place the prepared dough in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (mark 5).
5
Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a specially prepared surface. The dough should be about 1-1.5 cm thick. Use a patterned cutter to cut out Christmas shapes, continuing to roll out the dough and cut cookies until all the dough is used.
6
Lightly grease the baking tray with butter and carefully place the cookies on it (you can use a spatula as they are fragile). Leave a 3 cm space between the cookies as they will slightly expand during baking.
7
Bake each batch of cookies (each filled tray) for about 10 minutes. After baking, leave the cookies on the tray for a minute, then transfer them to a rack with a spatula to cool completely.
8
While the cookies cool, prepare the lemon glaze: add enough lemon juice to the powdered sugar to make a thick mixture (about 2 tsp per 80 grams). Transfer the glaze to a piping bag (or syringe) and decorate the cooled(!) cookies. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes.
- Lemon juice: 2 teaspoons
- Icing sugar: 80 g
