Gingerbread cookies at last. I have been preparing them for Christmas for several years now, it has become a kind of tradition. They are easy to make, it's a shortcrust pastry base enriched with many spices including ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. I always use a spice mix I buy from a historic grocery store in the city, it takes very little to get the perfect aroma.
For the icing I usually make royal icing, but this time I tried to use meringue powder instead of egg white. The meringue is always egg white, but baked and therefore dry. To obtain the powder just chop the meringues very finely with a blade mixer, this way you'll avoid forming any lump. Dose well the amount of water you are going to add, always start with little at a time and then increase if you see that it's necessary. The consistency should be quite firm, but smooth and shiny.
If left in the open air, the icing begins to dry out and, although slowly, will form a crunchy film. To avoid this you can cover it (if you leave it in a bowl) with cling film in direct contact with the icing itself. Once the cookies are decorated it will take several hours to completely set. So if you want to add more layers, perhaps of different colors, keep in mind that the previous layer will have to dry completely.
To speed up this process you can help yourself with a fan or bring the fan oven to a maximum of 30 ° and leave the decorated cookies inside until fully dry. The speed at which your icing will dry will also depend on the humidity in the air, in a dry environment it will take less time.
La ricetta
Preparation time 30 minutes + rest
Baking time 12 minutes
Servings 80 cookies
Ingredients
Dough
350 gr of flour
175 gr of brown sugar
125 gr of butter
80 gr of honey
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 large tsp of spice mix
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
Icing
100 gr of powder sugar
150 gr of meringue powder
Water q.s.
Method
DOUGH
1. In a stand mixer, mix sugar and soft butter to cream
2. Incorporate the egg into the honey and add it to the batter while continuing to mix
3. Add flour and yeast, spice mix, cinnamon and a pinch of salt
4. Mix until reaching a smooth and compact consistency. Then knead briefly with your hands and form a flat, squared dough. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes / 1 hour
5. Use a little dough at a time and leave the rest in the fridge(covered with plastic film) so that it's always cold. Roll out the dough maintaining a height of about 1/2 cm
6. Cut the cookies with cookie cutters of choice, place on a dripping pan covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven with fan at 170 ° for 12 minutes, checking that the cookies are golden on the surface. Leave to cool
ICING
1. Sift the meringue powder together with the sugar
2. Add a little water at a time and mix. The icing should have a firm consistency and should not fall off the spoon
3. Fill a piping bag with a fine tip and decorate the cookies as desired
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