Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why are my gingerbread biscuits hard? ›

Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Another key difference from modern-day gingerbread is that the medieval variety is made with honey and breadcrumbs. These were mixed with saffron and pepper to form a stiff paste which was formed into a square, sprinkled with cinnamon and decorated with box leaves secured with cloves.

Soft, moist and nutty German gingerbread was invented by medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers were recorded as early as 1296 in the city of Ulm and in 1395 in Nürnberg (Nuremberg).

Don't overbake them.

The cookies should still be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. Most regular-sized gingerbread cookies will take 9-10 minutes, but you might need a little more or less time depending on whether your cookie cutters are small or extra large.

Forgetting to chill the dough.

It's tempting to want to roll out the dough as soon as it comes together, but let it have a little time to rest. Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking.

An excessive amount of butter makes it where the flour is unable to absorb the combined fat, which causes the cookie to spread too widely and the sugar to carbonize more easily because it's surrounded by too buttery a dough.

Fear that gingerbread men could be agents of the occult spread to the continent and in 1607 the magistrates of Delft in the Netherlands made it illegal to either bake or eat the biscuits.

Research has also shown that it may improve dental hygiene, reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Similarly, nutmeg – another common ingredient in gingerbread – is associated with reduced inflammation and may benefit heart health.

Oblaten Lebkuchen are distinguished by a signature edible wafer (collectively called Oblaten in German) on the bottom. The wafers are made from wheat flour, starch, and water.

What is German gingerbread called? ›

If you are not familiar with lebkuchen, they are soft German gingerbread cookies. Like other gingerbread, they have an array of flavourful spices like ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. However, unlike the usual gingerbread cutouts, they get a glossy coating in the form of an egg wash.

Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread. Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs.

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Converting the weight of syrup and/or treacle (molasses) into tablespoons can cause a bit of error, but we doubt that this is the main reason for the cake sinking. Most likely too much bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) was added.

You have a few things that can go wrong: The oven isn't hot enough. (it needs to set the top before the middle's fully risen) Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set)

Be sure to mix the dough just until it comes together and avoid kneading or overworking the dough. Overbaking: Biscuits can become dry and hard if they are overbaked. Follow the baking instructions on the store-bought mix and be sure to check the biscuits a few min.

If your biscuits are too tough…

Biscuit dough is moist and sticky, so much so that it may seem too wet after you've added all your flour. If you do think this about your dough, fight the urge to add more dry ingredients — dough that isn't wet enough will bake into a hard, dry biscuit.

First, Day confirmed that storing biscuits in the fridge is fine as long as they're in an airtight container. This keeps the biscuit fresh for up to five days. “For long term storage, wrap biscuits in plastic wrap, then with tin foil. Store for up to one month in the freezer,” she said.