Gingerbread Cookies (Gingerbread Family) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

What is the main ingredient in gingerbread cookies trivia? ›

Flour is the main ingredient in gingerbread cookies, as in most cookies. However, ginger and molasses are important ingredients as well, as they contribute to the cookies' unique taste. Gingerbread was brought to America with settlers from Europe, and has been a popular addition to the American diet ever since.

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.

The first gingerbread man is credited to Queen Elizabeth I, who knocked the socks off visiting dignitaries by presenting them with one baked in their own likeness. Gingerbread tied with a ribbon was popular at fairs and, when exchanged, became a token of love.

From festively shaped biscuits to extravagantly decorated gingerbread houses, gingerbread has become a culinary staple of Christmas.

Originally, the term gingerbread (from Latin zingiber via Old French gingebras) referred to preserved ginger. It then referred to a confection made with honey and spices. Gingerbread is often used to translate the French term pain d'épices ( lit.

Originally gingerbread was made with honey and breadcrumbs

One of the earliest English recipes for gingerbread, written down in the fifteenth century, didn't actually contain any ginger! Instead bread crumbs or 'gratyd brede' were mixed with boiled honey and formed into a stiff paste with saffron and pepper.

A fear that gingerbread men could be the agents of the devil also spread throughout Europe. In 1607, the superstitious magistrates of Delft in the Netherlands made it illegal to either bake or eat any of these molded and spiced cookies. This was also a time of religious upheaval.

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is a thick, goopy ingredient, so it wasn't a surprise that my dough came out on the stickier end of the texture spectrum when I used too much molasses.

While some folks might prefer thin, crispy gingerbread cookies (often called Moravian spice cookies), we think that classic gingerbread cookies should be firm enough to hold their shape without spreading in the oven, but also soft and supple with a tender crumb.

Gingerbread takes shape

After creating a paste of breadcrumbs, honey, and ginger, and rolling the mixture out, the monks often carved biblical scenes or images of saints before baking it. They then used these gingerbread treats as a way to feed the hungry and offer some religious teaching at the same time.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

Many also decorated their Christmas trees with gingerbread men or houses, leading to an increase in their popularity. Others however, believe gingerbread was eaten due to the calming influence of ginger – a key ingredient amidst the festive feasting!

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.

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

Gingerbread Cookies: He likes them chewy and chock full of spices. Go easy on the cloves—they numb the tongue.

Gingerbread is made with the following simple ingredients: brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, butter, milk, and molasses!

Gingerbread men are cookies made of gingerbread shaped like people. In America, they are most popular at Christmastime. Ingredients include ginger, molasses, spices, flour, butter, eggs, etc. The dough is rolled out on a flat surface, and the gingerbread man is made with a cookie cutter.

Houses made of gingerbread may have been inspired in the early 1800s by the Brothers Grimm, who wrote about a witch's cottage made of candy and cookies in "Hansel and Gretel." Waves of immigrants brought gingerbread to America (George Washington's mother is credited with one recipe), and the houses became particularly ...