Gingerbread cookies: Good Bitches Baking cookbook recipe
From the Good Bitches Baking cookbook, local baker Judith Varga shares her recipe for Mézeskalács – often translated as ‘gingerbread’ but directly translating to ‘honey cake’.
INGREDIENTS | Makes 100
- 250g honey
- 300g butter
- 300g light brown sugar
- 3+1 eggs (keep the last egg for glazing, optional)
- 1kg flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 large pinch of salt
- Grated peel of 1 orange
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
METHOD
- Prepare the dough
- Crush the cloves and allspice in a mortar and pestle and mix with the other spices.
- Put the honey and spices in a small saucepan, heat until the honey boils, add the butter in small pieces, and allow to melt completely.
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking soda and salt.
- Whisk the sugar and 3 eggs in a mixer until foamy, then replace the whisk with a mixing paddle, turn the mixer on low and alternately add the flour and the honey mixture to the egg. You get a heavy, sticky mass.
- Remove from the mixing bowl, wrap in cling film or place in a bowl covered with a damp tea towel and refrigerate overnight.
Shape and cook the biscuits
- Once out of the fridge, let the dough warm a little and then divide it into 3 parts.
- Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of 3 to 4mm. Shape it into any shape you like. (Judith uses cookie cutters).
- Put the dough back in the fridge if you are slow, as warm dough is impossible to work with.
- Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the gingerbread with it.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 5-7 minutes, just until they have a little colour.
- Ice them when cooled.
