Honey Gingerbread Cookies
NAHBE 2026 4th place cookie winner
Equipment
- 1 Mixer and mixing bowl
- 1 set of measuring spoons
- 1 set of measuring cups
- 1 fork
- 1 spoon
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 set cookie cutters
- 1 icing bag and icing tips
- 1 bowl
- 1 cookie baking sheet
Ingredients
Gingerbread spice
- 1 anise star
- 1/2 tsp anise seed
- 4 cloves
- 3 allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Gingerbread cookie dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbs honey
- 1/1 stick butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbs dark cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/2 tbs homemade gingerbread spice
Sugar Icing
- 1/2 egg white
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbs potato starach
Misc
- 1 egg yolk to brush the baked cookie for a shiny look
Instructions
- Grind the gingerbread spices, anise star, anise seed, cloves, allspice and remove any larger particles by sifting the mixture through a coarse siee. Mix the ground spices with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter and honey, if honey is granulated
- MIx flour, dark cocoa powder, baking soda and then sift these dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 tbsp gingerbread spice, egg, melted butter and honey
- Use a form to mix the ingredients until they form compact chunks. Carefully transfer the mixture onto a work surface and knead it by hand into a smooth, slightly sticky dough
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight
- Roll out the rested dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Cut out your desired shapes from the dough, carefully lift them with a pastry spatula and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Preheat the oven to 325 degree F and bake the cookies for 8 minutes. The baking time depends on the cookie size; smaller ones need less time, while larger shapes will require a minute or two longer in the oven
- If you want your gingerbread cookies to hae a shiny surface, prepare 1 egg yolk in a bowl and beat it with a fork. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, brush them thinly with the yolk. The heat from the gingerbread will cause the egg yolk to firm up, creating a glossy layer
- Prepare the sugar icing by sifting 1 up powdered sugar and 1 tbsp potato starch into a bowl. Add 1/2 egg white and mix well until you achieve a thick glaze. Add any food coloring you want. The icing should be thick enough that when you scoop it with a spoon it doesn't run off but falls down in chunks. Pour the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a #2 or #3 piping tip and decorate the gingerbreak cookies to your liking. Allow the cookies to dry overnight before piping another layer. If you want soft cookies, bake them 3-4 weeks in advance and store them in breathable paper box in cold dark place.