Käthe's favorite recipe: Delicious gingerbread
Recipe from the 2024 Christmas catalog
Inspired by our “Gingerbread” poetry in glass series
In the twelfth century in Dinant (Belgium), an already well-known, not very tasty cookie was refined in such a way that it took people's hearts by storm: gingerbread.
With its rich composition and warming spices, it quickly found its way across borders to the tranquil monasteries of Franconia and the old imperial city of Aachen. In the cold winters, the high energy density and long shelf life made gingerbread an indispensable companion through the harsh times. Over the centuries, the recipe evolved and bakers began to add additional ingredients such as nuts, citrus fruits and exotic spices, which became available as trade routes expanded. Particularly in Nuremberg, which is famous for its “Nuremberg gingerbread”, special mixtures were developed that gave the gingerbread its characteristic taste today. Over time, gingerbread was transformed from a simple, nutritious food into a festive treasure that heralded the Christmas season.
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
300 grams chocolate chips or chunks
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup milk (or nut milk)
Method
Heat the honey, brown sugar, vanilla sugar and butter in a small pan while stirring. Heat gently until the butter is liquid and the sugar begins to dissolve. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Then stir in the egg. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and spices in a large bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and knead everything into a smooth dough. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C top/bottom heat. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of approx. 0.5 cm on a floured work surface. Cut out the gingerbread and place on the prepared baking trays. If you want to hang the gingerbread up later as decoration, pierce a hole in it with a wooden stick so that a string can be threaded through. Place the trays in the oven for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of the gingerbread).
As soon as the gingerbread has cooled completely, you can decorate them with white or colored sugar and then hang them up.
The dough can also be used to bake a gingerbread house. Depending on the size, however, the baking time will be longer.
NOTE: You can buy ready-made icing sugar in the supermarket, but it is also very easy to make yourself. To do this, mix approx. 150 g powdered sugar with the juice of half a lemon. Stir in the lemon juice one spoonful at a time until the icing has the desired consistency. To decorate, pour into a small piping bag with a thin nozzle. The firmer and more viscous the icing, the finer the lines you can draw with it.
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