Vegan Gingerbread - Soft, Moist, Delicious Holiday Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What makes gingerbread so strong? ›

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong. Corn syrup keeps freshly baked gingerbread pliable and soft, so it's easy to cut while warm. Rolling the dough directly on parchment makes it easy to transfer to the pan.

The cookies should still be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. Most regular-sized gingerbread cookies will take 9-10 minutes, but you might need a little more or less time depending on whether your cookie cutters are small or extra large.

One of the key ingredients in ginger snap cookies is molasses, which gives the cookies their distinct dark color and rich flavor. The amount of molasses used can vary from recipe to recipe, and this can affect the color of the cookies.

Gingerbread is sticky because it's made with a batter heavy with molasses, which creates a dense, slightly chewy and sticky texture. Many recipes also call for corn syrup, treacle or prunes to be added, all of which add to the sticky texture and deep, rich flavor.

Gingerbread cookies should be soft. They should be supple. They should bend to your teeth before the cookie skin breaks and the crumbs fall all over you. They should retain a bit of elasticity, and maybe you can even leave your fingerprints on the cookie if you hold them too hard because you're just that excited.

Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Golden Syrup

With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.

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.

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.

Is molasses or golden syrup better for gingerbread? ›

Molasses – Essential for that deep, rich, caramel-like gingerbread flavour! It also helps hold the dough's shape. Golden syrup makes a great sub, or treacle. Honey will also work, but the cookies will spread out a touch more and not have the same deep flavour (but still very, very good!).

“Light molasses is the sweetest and mildest out of the bunch because it is made from the first boiling cycle,” she said. “I like to use this type of molasses because it adds moisture to cookies, resulting in a soft and chewy texture.”

Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it helps the gingerbread rise. Spices: This gingerbread is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a pinch of salt. Water: Make sure to use very hot water — it'll loosen the gluten and create a light, fluffy texture.

Baking soda: Baking soda will serve as our primary leavening agent, to give the cake and light and airy texture. Boiling water: Yes, we will use an entire cup of boiling water to help dissolve and meld the ingredients together and give the cake plenty of moisture.

The challenge was for me to find a perfectly moist and tender texture. I played with the liquid ingredients, milk and melted butter, and added freshly brewed coffee too. Use strong coffee and it will also enhance the deep flavors of the cake.

So to make sure our walls could stand strong, we sandwiched melted marshmallow cement between two graham crackers. The marshmallow adds weight, which helps stabilize the structure. It also acts as a sealant, ensuring that the cracker won't crumble.

Once the gingerbread has cooled, start spooning dollops of melted white chocolate onto the edges of the walls, roof, and sides, working bit-by-bit. Assemble one corner, put it in the fridge to set, then add another wall, and so on.

Fit Everything Together with Melted Sugar or Royal Icing

The second way is to use burnt sugar as your glue. Just melt C&H® Pure Granulated Cane Sugar in a pan on the stove, dip the gingerbread parts in and hold them together for a few seconds. Then, presto! You've created a solid house.

Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-flavoured cakes such as gingerbread, fruit cake, chocolate cake and carrot cake.