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Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Peppermint Icing

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

After making my gingerbread house I had a bit of leftover dough (from this recipe).

I used the top of a water glass to make circular cookies; pushing the glass firmly through the dough and twisting the glass back and forth before removing will keep them looking perfect (or close enough).  Bake ~10 minutes or until edges begin to turn a bit darker.  When cool, I added some peppermint extract to the icing to make a tasty filling for sandwiched gingerbread.

Peppermint Icing for Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from Elise‘s Royal Icing

What I Changed (Reflected Below) and Why: Halved recipe since original was for gingerbread house; Added peppermint extract for flavor; Skipped the beating and other complicated steps of the recipe since the texture of cookie filling is more forgiving than icing used as gingerbread mortar; Included option to use water instead of egg white since, again, it’s just filling.

1 large egg white  OR 1 Tbsp water
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Whisk rapidly until well combined and a bit fluffy.  This step can alternatively be done in a mixer.

2. Spread in between two gingerbread cookies (or another type of flat cookie).  Let rest for several hours or until firm.

Optional Step 3: Roll edges of cookies in crushed candy canes.  Do this before the icing is set so that candy canes adhere well.

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Gingerbread House of Homemade Charm

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

Homemade gingerbread houses are fun to make at any age.

I am indebted to Elise‘s How to Make a Gingerbread House for making my first non-kit and non-graham cracker gingerbread house a success.

Per usual, I swapped whole wheat flour and succanat for the white flour and refined sugars.  I also used blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses.

Another adaptation which turned out to be a lifesaver: using a cardboard six-bottle beer carrier as a structure around which to build the walls and lay the roof.  Without this my house would have certainly caved in.  It also meant I only had to cut out a cardboard pattern for the roof since for the walls I just placed the carton onto my rolled-out dough and cut around it with a knife.

By the time I finished it was late at night and I didn’t decorate.  The next day I elected to keep it the way it was.  I like having just the dark brown and bright white.

I constructed it atop a cake platter which worked well.  Now it serves as a holiday decoration that I can move as needed.

With leftover dough I made some gingerbread sandwich cookies.  Recipe to come!

Posted in Beautification, Recipes, Sweets | 1 Response »
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25 Days of Gifts: Gingerbread boxes

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

These adorable gingerbread house boxes can upgrade homemade treats to a polished gift.

Fill them with homemade ginger snaps, meringues or truffles. Fill out the tag, tie the red ribbon, and rally your office mates for a Secret Santa gift-swap.

Martha Stewart Crafts, on sale $5.99 for 6 boxes

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