SweetSugarBelle's Favorite Gingerbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do my gingerbread men spread? ›

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Gingerbread may be considered an indulgent treat if you're only considering the calorie content. But it's Christmas, and indulging in a treat or two can be a fun and healthy part of life – especially when this classic biscuit includes many nutrients that may benefit your health.

Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong. Corn syrup keeps freshly baked gingerbread pliable and soft, so it's easy to cut while warm. Rolling the dough directly on parchment makes it easy to transfer to the pan.

Haugh's Kindergarten students worked like scientists to predict what would happen if the Gingerbread Man did get wet, then conducted an experiment and reached conclusions based on their results. They learned that cookies get soggy in water and fall apart!

If you like, decorate as desired with royal icing, and dry completely before storage (this can take 12-24 hours depending on thickness of design, ambient humidity, and air flow). With or without frosting, the gingerbread cookies will last up to 3 weeks at cool room temperature in an airtight container.

“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.”

For me it's a combination of things--very important things. First, the texture of the cookie needs to be fairly crispy along the outside with a semi-soft, cake-like inside, and like all "perfect" cut-out cookies, they definitely need to keep their shape when baked.

It is commonly thought that the first time the sweet bread was formed into the likeness of a man was on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Visiting dignitaries were each presented gingerbread shaped to resemble themselves to honor and mark the occasion.

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.

Why did my gingerbread collapse? ›

Our answer

Bicarbonate of soda is an extremely active raising agent and if you add too much then the gingerbread will rise up a lot during baking, then sink back fairly dramatically. If the surface of the gingerbread is wrinkled then this is also a sign that there was too much bicarbonate of soda.

Use royal icing to attach the pieces back together. Another trick is to use candy melts as the “glue”. It dries much faster than icing. Whichever option you choose, it is best to let the repair dry overnight.

Grasmere Gingerbread Shop | The World's Best Gingerbread. Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name.

The simple answer is no; dogs should not be given gingerbread. In addition to the large amounts of sugar and fat, gingerbread often includes nutmeg, which can be toxic to dogs. For more information, we spoke to veterinarian Dr. Lindsay Butzer opens in a new tab for how to keep your dogs safe this holiday season.

After the gingerbread is cut out, Lomas recommends putting it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to three days. Chilling the dough before it goes into a hot oven gives the butter a chance to firm up and reduces how much it spreads when baking.

Look for a recipe that uses bread flour and a minimal amount of leaveners; these items will help keep your pieces from spreading. Also, remember to incorporate plenty of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove for the fantastic smell!

If this happens, put the dough into the refrigerator until it is well chilled, usually about 1 to 2 hours. Another possible fix is to add some additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is slightly stiffer and doesn't spread. 2. Butter or margarine is too soft.

Using Warm Cookie Baking Trays

Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.