German Gingerbread Hearts
Going to be honest… My entire diet during Oktoberfest was Beer, White Sausages, & Soft Pretzels. By the time I had my eyes on these massive cookie necklaces… I needed a nap. So while I may not have tried this ginger honey cookie, they were EVERYWHERE at Oktoberfest. I feel like you guys would love to try your hand at making one of these vs. buying/grinding/casing your own meat from the butcher to make white sausages – maybe we can attempt that another day. These Lebkuchenherzen’s are also very popular in Christmas markets so it’s like you’re prepping for the holiday season ahead! (also the history behind these is something that kinda sounds like Valentines day gifts… men give them to women and it says something cute in German. Sounds like a Valentine to me & because I am single I have chosen to boycott the official meaning & stick to cute Christmas culture instead. GET ON MY LEVEL.
Recipe adaption from My German Recipes
Also heads up – we are going to use grams in this recipe vs. American measurements because baking is always so precise. If this isn’t your thing you can always find a conversion app OR simply google another recipe that uses American measurements… just be aware that this has possible risky steps. As mentioned in prior recipes, invest in the right tools! If you are serious about baking it is about time you get yourself one of these: Escali Scale (my preference but feel free to look at other options). This tool will make your baking life SO much better and you can understand where/how you messed up much more easily. Another helpful hint: if you LOVE to bake please only purchase a scale for measuring food vs a human scale… Don’t say I didn’t warn you! I hit a new PR every month with those dangerous tools.
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 300 g (just under 1 cup) Honey
- 150 g (¾ cup) Sugar
- 100 g (6.5 Tblspn) Butter
- Few swipes of lemon zest (don’t get the white part in it, just yellow otherwise adds too much bitterness – also welcome to try orange instead just let me know how it goes!)
- 500 g All purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 10 g (2 tspn) baking powder
- 2.5 g (½ tspn) ground cardamom – For best flavor use mortar&pestle, crack open cardamom pods & use only the small black seeds inside. Seems like a pain but provides incredible flavor
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 g (1 Tbspn) Milk
Icing:
- 1 egg white
- 200 g confectioners sugar
- several different food colors
Instructions
Ok so as I mentioned, I haven’t exactly made this before… however I am blending my experience with baking ginger snaps & 5K other types of cookies with a recipe that should be straightforward. Any brave souls interested in testing this one out of me – let me know how it turns out!! Otherwise we have to wait until I get an Airbnb vs a hostel/hotel so I can bake to make sure I didn’t lead everyone reading this astray. 🙂
PREPARATION:
READ THE RECIPE 2X. Do not start pulling out ingredients, do not pass go, and do not collect $200. Just read this through twice so you have a full idea on what project you’re about to take on & identify now any interesting or confusing areas that need to be sorted BEFORE you start. I have personally gotten everything prepped and chopped and measured… only to find out a key stage in baking requires an overnight rest before going to step 9 & 10…. So just please read the damn thing. If that seems like too much work, walk to the fridge, pull out some break & bake, and grab the large spoon for your new dessert project. No judgement we’ve all been there. However if you are willing to spend an extra 5 minutes, get ready for a fun new project!
Mis en place all the ingredients above. When you take out ingredients on the fly it’s dangerous while cooking… however it is INSANE to try that with baking projects. You will know this if you have ever attempted making caramel while measuring out flour or milk across the kitchen while you wait for it to boil. Suddenly you have a pan of blackened sugar, scorched sugar on your stovetop, opening windows to clear the smoke, & finally pulling up a google search on how to clean a pan that has burnt candy on the bottom… just please learn from my 1K mistakes and measure ahead of time, trust me.
- Combine the honey, sugar, cardamom, zest, & butter in a saucepan and warm over low heat until everything is melted and blended but not boiling then set aside off the burner to cool for a few minutes
- While the pan is cooling – in a separate large bowl combine the dry ingredients: Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, & salt
- Once combined but not over-mixed, make a well in the dry ingredients in the bowl
- Add the egg yolk and begin to lightly combine this into the dry ingredients – again don’t overwork the flour just yet
- Next take the honey/sugar/butter/zest/cardamom mixture and pour this into that well and continue to combine so that everything comes together
- Pour onto countertop, table, or butchers block and knead the mass until it becomes a consistent soft dough
TWO OPTIONS:
COOK NOW or COOK AFTER LETTING DOUGH REST FOR 6-12 HOURS IN FRIDGE
The chilling dough overnight usually adds a better texture when baking – I could go into the science but honestly that will be better articulated on other blogs so google Bravetart, SeriousEats, or your favorite baking blog to see why/how it effects the dough!
After fridge rest (or for those excited to get this project finished sooner):
- Preheat oven to 375*
- Take out your rolling pin & and roll this dough on a lightly floured surface to ½ inch thickness
- Pick out the size hearts you want to make and cut accordingly – some freehand cut these hearts / for those artistically challenged or want precise consistent shapes buy heart shaped cookie cutters
- Place the hearts on a baking tray linked with parchment on the bottom (easiest I find for baking & cleanup) and put into oven
- Check on these cookies throughout baking process, however between 11-15minutes you should have a proper cookie ready to enjoy
- Important Note: it is kind of hard to tell when brown dough cookies are ready because a sign of a proper cookie is just as it starts to brown. This may take some practice in time but it is a mix of instincts, smell, touch (careful), and former cookie baking knowledge. Obviously if it starts to smell burned you have gone too far. One option is to cook only a few the first round and take out at different times (10/13/15mins) and see after it has time to cool which consistency you prefer
- Place perfectly baked cookies on a cooling rack and begin the frosting creation!
NOTE: cookies need to be fully cooled before frosting otherwise you’ll have yourself a creepy puddle of colors on the cookie that could earn yourself a perfect #nailedit baking meme
FROSTING:
- Whisk egg whites, as they start to foam slowly incorporate the confectioners sugar. Once combined continue to whisk until the mixture forms stiff strong peaks. Pull mixer head so it points up to the ceiling. There should be no waves cresting, just stiff & tall point for maximum pleasure
- Separate portions into various piping bags & add desired colors to these bags and get into your artistic mode!
No mistakes only happy accidents! Unless your cookies are still warm and you couldn’t wait… then you’re simply the asshole who refused to listen. PROST!
