On the eve of the New Year holidays, recipes for all kinds of baking become especially relevant. Gingerbread cookies, including gingerbread, are very popular among confectionery products. In this article, we present to your attention not only interesting recipes for this baking, but also ways to decorate gingerbread cookies with photos. It is customary to decorate gingerbread cookies with multicolored glaze and give as a gift.
The history of gingerbread
This product was introduced to Europe a very long time ago, in 992. The Armenian monk, whose name was Gregory Makar, brought gingerbread. After living in France for seven years, during this time he taught French Christians to bake gingerbread.
In the 13th century, the carrot appeared in Sweden, where it was brought by an immigrant from Germany. In this country, a guild of masters was created in the 15th century, which controlled the production of gingerbread. The first trade documents found indicated that their sale was started in the 17th century. In those days, gingerbread cookies could be purchased at farmers' fairs, pharmacies and monasteries. In medieval England, it was believed that gingerbread cookies were endowed with medical properties.
Gingerbread Cooking
The tradition of baking and decorating these gingerbread cookies came to our country from the West and firmly established itself in Russian homes. To create gingerbread cookies you will need the following products and spices:
- 165 g of honey;
- 500 g flour;
- 100 g oils;
- 125 g of sugar;
- 2 tsp ground coriander;
- 1 tsp with a slide of cloves;
- cinnamon and ginger - 1 tsp;
- 2 large eggs;
- a little salt;
- 2 tbsp. l soda;
- 40 ml of lemon juice.
Heat sugar and honey in a saucepan over low heat until these ingredients are completely dissolved and the first bubbles appear on the surface of the mass. After this, the pan should be removed from the heat and pour into the contents of the soda, the mass will begin to foam very much. At the next stage, introduce the oil into the mixture, mixing well. After the oil has dissolved, add the egg, knead well. We add flour in small portions and quickly knead the dough. Gingerbread dough should not be kneaded for a long time, since it can be delayed and baking from it will turn out to be solid. We remove the prepared dough in the refrigerator for several hours (3-4 is enough), after having wrapped it with cling film. Further, figures of arbitrary shape are cut out from the test - Christmas trees, snowmen, cones, bears, gingerbread men. These gingerbread cookies are baked for 12-15 minutes at an oven temperature of 200 ° C. Products from the baking sheet should be removed when they have cooled slightly, otherwise the gingerbread cookies may be deformed.
Gingerbread decoration
After baking this traditional European treat, you need to decorate it. Remember that glaze should be applied to already cooled pastries. Let's choose several different recipes for colored glaze.
Classic glaze
To prepare this glaze for decorating gingerbread (master class - in the article), we need a very small amount of products. To prepare it, take:
- 200 g of powdered sugar;
- juice of one lemon;
- one egg white.
All of these products are mixed and whipped at a low speed with a mixer. You can make colored glaze using food colors or using natural products, for example, instead of lemon juice, add juice (decoction) of other fruits and vegetables: carrots, sage, broccoli, beets, strawberries, red currants.
Citrus glaze
Squeeze the juice from the orange (mandarin) and pour it into a container, add powdered sugar to it in small portions. Citrus glaze must have a liquid consistency so that it can easily spread over baking. To prepare an orange glaze for decorating gingerbread, take:
- ¾ Art. powdered sugar;
- 4 tbsp. tablespoons of orange juice.
Chocolate glaze
This glaze for decorating gingerbread is easy and simple to prepare. To prepare it, we need:
- 400 g of powdered sugar;
- 4 tbsp. tablespoons of milk;
- thirty grams of butter;
- 2 tbsp. l cocoa;
- vanillin.
To the softened butter add cocoa, powder and vanilla. It is good to grind the mass and pour milk into it, stir until a homogeneous consistency.
Caramel glaze
Caramel-baked pastries have an unusually beautiful appearance. To create it, prepare the following components:
- half a glass of brown sugar;
- 1 tbsp. powdered sugar;
- a couple of tablespoons of butter;
- three tablespoons of milk;
- a bag of vanillin.
The butter should be melted in a saucepan, pour milk into it and dissolve brown sugar in this mass. Boil the mixture for one minute. Remove the mass from the fire, add half the icing sugar into it. Beat everything well, cool, add the remaining powdered sugar and vanillin. Beat again in order to obtain a finished glaze of a homogeneous consistency.
Professional confectionery glaze
To decorate gingerbread, you can use the icing prepared according to this recipe. The following products must be taken:
- sugar syrup and milk - two teaspoons each;
- 1 tbsp. powdered sugar;
- the fourth part of tsp almond extract;
- food colors.
Combine and mix the powder and milk to the consistency of a soft paste. Add sugar syrup to the mass and beat until the glaze acquires a smooth and shiny appearance. Then decompose it into several containers and mix food coloring. The hue will depend on the amount of dye added: the more dye added, the brighter and more saturated the color.
Glaze application
Gingerbread can be decorated with glaze using a pastry bag (syringe), parchment paper cornet or a simple plastic bag with a cut corner.
We fill with glaze any of the above items and apply patterns to the surface of the gingerbread. The complete drying time of the glaze ranges from 3 to 6 hours. With the help of glaze, you can collect pyramids from gingerbread, for example in the form of a Christmas tree. To do this, you need to make several products from the dough of different sizes, then collecting them according to the principle of the pyramid, fastening the glaze in the middle.
Gingerbread gingerbread cookies decorated with glaze can be stored for a fairly long time. To do this, they must be placed in a sealed container, glass or metal jar.
Useful information
Royal icing, or icing, is a mixture made from chicken eggs or using dry protein (albumin). It is used not only as a decoration for gingerbread, but also to create different designs for cakes and all kinds of confectionery. This glaze is very sweet in taste. After the protein glaze has dried, it becomes strong enough.
In order to prepare an icing, you will need a mixer, preferably with a “spatula” nozzle, but you can get by with a whisk for whipping. The icing needs to be whipped at low speed, otherwise after drying it will become brittle.
It is best to add very fine powdered sugar (finely divided) to icing. Do not use the powder prepared at home, this can ruin the finished product. If the store purchased ordinary powder, it must be sieved several times through a strainer.
It is best to cook the glaze immediately before cooking, but in a tightly closed container it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Ready icing after cooking should be left for 10-15 minutes, covered with a damp cloth. This is done to completely dissolve the powdered sugar, and also during this period the air bubbles formed during whipping will come out.
The time required to completely dry the icing depends on the humidity and temperature of the environment, as well as on its consistency. It takes about 20-30 minutes to dry the contour gingerbreads, and 1-2 hours for products completely filled with glaze. Gingerbread cookies decorated with icing can be dried in the oven, using the technology of making meringues.
How to make royal glaze
There are two ways to prepare an icing for gingerbread decoration. In the first case, we learn how to make it from chicken egg protein, and in the second - using albumin (dry protein).
First way:
- 90 g of chilled protein (from 3 eggs);
- 500 g of fine powdered sugar;
- ½ tsp lemon juice (to stabilize the structure of egg white).
We put the protein in a clean bowl and begin to whisk at a minimum speed, when it is evenly bubbly, we introduce lemon juice and portionwise pour the powder. The mass is whisked until it becomes shiny and white (until soft peaks are obtained). This process will take about five minutes. Depending on what kind of aising we need (we will talk about its types a bit later), we dilute the mass with warm boiled water or additionally add powder.
The second way:
- 15 g of albumin;
- 85 g of chilled boiled water;
- 500 g of powdered sugar.
First, you need to combine the dry protein with water and thoroughly dissolve it. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes, then place in the bowl and slowly beat, gradually adding the powder in small parts. Glaze readiness is checked in the same way as in the first case.
Aising: types
To decorate gingerbread cookies and other confectionery products, aising of different consistencies is used. Consider what types it happens.
Contour glaze is the basic consistency of icing. Such whipping creates soft peaks when whipping, applying this aising on the surface of the product eliminates spreading. Such glaze is used to apply inscriptions and outline the picture.
Pouring is a contour glaze diluted with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream. It is used to fill the surface of the gingerbread.
Gluing (another name - “cement”) - ice is a very thick consistency, used for extrusion. Get it by adding more powder to the base glaze. With the help of "cement" they glue gingerbread houses, create 3D-designs and relief patterns, using confectionery nozzles for this . The icing is stained with food colors in a known manner.
In order to decorate the gingerbread, first you need to make the outline of the selected pattern. When it hardens, pour the surface of the gingerbread with a more liquid substance. After drying and pouring, various patterns can be applied to the product using food markers or contour glaze. Confectionery should be applied to a surface that is not yet dry.
Options for Christmas decorations
One of the most popular ways to decorate gingerbread cookies for the New Year, of course, is the Christmas tree. Using a cookie cutter, prepare gingerbread cookies in the form of a Christmas tree. Apply a contour to the cooled product using contour glaze. When it hardens well, put a fill on the gingerbread, smooth it with a toothpick. For a more even distribution of ice, the confectionery product can be slightly shaken. After the icing hardens, proceed to decorate the Christmas gingerbread cookies. Herringbone can be painted using food felt-tip pens or thicker glaze. As a picture for decoration, we suggest choosing Christmas toys, garlands, balls.
You can collect a gingerbread Christmas tree from products of different sizes, cut in the shape of an asterisk. You can decorate the New Year’s beauty with ice, using different options.
For table setting, we recommend making an original edible wreath. To create it, it is recommended to use Christmas trees, stars, snowflakes, small houses decorated with glaze. From small painted gingerbread cookies you can make an unusual and tasty garland.
Gingerbread cookies in the form of snowflakes, angels, snowmen, cones, balls, bells, birds are no less popular. Decorating these products with ice and making small holes in them, you can use gingerbread cookies as Christmas tree decorations.
Gingerbread Cookies
Relatively recently appeared in our country toppers - gingerbread on a stick for decorating cakes. They are prepared from a special test. Take the following gingerbread recipe for decoration. To prepare the test you need to take:
- 100 g of sugar;
- 165 g of honey;
- 1 tsp with a slide of ginger;
- 125 g butter;
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- one egg;
- 2 tsp soda;
- flour about 500 g (depending on the quality of the flour).
For glaze:
- 200 g of powdered sugar (must be fine);
- protein of one egg;
- some citric acid.
The toppers baked from this dough are not stale for a long time and are unusually tasty. They are not baked for long, only 7 to 10 minutes, at a temperature of 175 ° C. Gingerbread cookies for decorating the cake can be made in the form of cartoon characters, words, letters of the name of the birthday person, a figure indicating the year of birth. On such gingerbread cookies, filled with glaze, you can attach a waffle picture. At first, it is recommended to stick it on a mastic or sugar base, and only then on the surface of the gingerbread. In still warm toppers, sticks are inserted and cooled in a horizontal position. You can put a small load on top of them.
Following all the above recommendations, you can easily cope with the preparation of goodies. It is possible to involve children in the process, and it is interesting and fun with them, and most importantly, to spend leisure time with benefit.