Here’s a recipe that I developed this summer; it will make beautiful and tasty gingerbread. Be sure to choose a deeply and boldly carved design, one without really fine details. You’ll make the non springerle lovers very happy!
Happy Baking!
Connie
Gingerbread cookies using M4060 Swiss Sextet
Molded Gingerbread Cookies
Put into large mixing bowl and whisk together:
- 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Measure into a large measuring cup and mix thoroughly:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup dark corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
Now combine the flour mixture and the liquid mixture together either by hand or in a heavy standard mixer using the flat blade (not the whisk). Mix until the dough holds together, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water only if necessary to bind the dough. Knead the dough into a solid mass and place into a tightly sealed zipper bag. Let the dough rest for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a plain rolling pin about ½ to 5/8 inch thick, depending on the depth of your cookie mold. Using a pastry brush, flour the surface of your cookie mold. Press firmly onto the flat surface of the dough and then lift the mold straight up. Reflour the mold for every pressing.
Cut and place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Let cookies dry for 8 – 12 hours.
Bake at 300 degrees for 12 minutes. Large cookies will need 14-15 minutes.
You can also use all molasses, but you will need to add an additional 6 Tablespoons of flour.
This recipe is easy to double.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
These are gorgeous, thanks for sharing the recipe.
I haven’t yet use any of the molds but I’m looking into buying one right now.:-)
I have a question about letting these dry prior to baking. Should they be refrigerated while you dry them, or can they be left on the counter?
Hi Kristin,
The cookies should dry uncovered, preferably in a dry cool place. I remember that some people dried them on their closed in porches. I turn my thermostat down to 60 degrees at night in my house anyway, so that’s all good. Of course, put them in a place where the pets can’t get to them!
Go forth and make cookies!
Connie
These cookies came out so delicious!
Crisp on the outside and a little gooey inside.
Looking forward to serving them to my vegan friends!
Btw I used rice syrup, instead of corn syrup, with satisfying results.
You should dry them uncovered on the counter. This helps form a slight crust on the surface, which preserves the molded image.
Have fun baking!
Connie
I am so happy to have found this wonderful website! My father was a baker and his father (also a baker)came from Germany and brought his beautiful springerle mold with him. I have inherited it, but have never been able to replicate these wonderful cookies. My father’s recipes are quite cryptic! Now I am looking forward to trying your recipes and buying more molds, of course!
I’ve used your molds for springerle and speculas, but this is the first time w/ gingerbread. In rainy Oregon, the springerle holds the print well, but I couldn’t get it to hold with this gingerbread recipe; of course it’s light drizzle and heavy fog and will be that way for weeks. I really like the flavor of this gingerbread recipe, so I’m headed back to the mixer with a base recipe of margarine & no leavening, but will sub your spices. I need to bring a dessert to a senior lady’s group next week, w/ several of the ladies immigrants from Belgium. Can’t possibly serve unaged springerle, so hoping to get some type of molded gingerbread to work. The flavor of all the ‘failures’ is perfect so they will be enjoyed at home. Thanks for posting the recipe, it really is a good one.
Hi Connie,
I had the same problem as Shirley from Oregon had. I live in Seattle. The dough did not hold the print at all. I ordered the M4060 Swiss Sextet and cutter that you used, so I know that mold works. I used molasses and dark corn syrup, and followed the instructions allowing the cookies to dry for 14 hours. You did not say in your recipe if the flour is spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off, or if it is the “dip and sweep” method of measuring. Perhaps that could be the problem, as the “dip and sweep” would incorporate more flour into the dough, thus making it stiffer? I spooned the flour into the measuring cup. As Shirley said, the “failures” were good, but when you spend $66.00 for the mold and cutter it’s frustrating.
Wendy
Do these have a long shelf life like the traditional springerle? Thank you so much!
The gingerbread cookies should last a couple of weeks, not months like springerle.
Connie
Hi Wendy,
My best guess is that the cookies did not have enough flour. They may also may have been too thick, thus over rising during the baking. Because of the high humidity where you live, try them thinner and cut the baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon. Also, I “drop” the cookie sheet on the counter immediately when I pull it out of the oven to slight deflate the rise. This defines the image more clearly.
I hope you will try again….
Best regards,
Connie
Hi Shirley,
See my answer to Wendy. And yes, humidity can be a problem, so try the the possible solutions as outlined to Wendy. Let me know how they turn out!
Keep enjoying those “faliures!”
Connie
Just baked the gingerbread springerle — what happened? Delicious blobs! My springerle molds made nice deep crisp impressions, I let them dry overnight, and when I baked them they puffed up so much the impressions are gone. I am at 4,000 ft altitude — could this be a factor?
They taste delicious, but I’m so disappointed. Any ideas? Thanks!
Just a note, I did get less spread from using margarine instead of butter, but our household decided that we will enjoy the beautiful prints with springerle and speculaas, and eat gingerbread that tastes good. So, next batch will be with your gingerbread recipe and a more lightly defined design. It’s a trade-off that works for us. I did re-watch your video on springerle to be sure I hadn’t drifted from the technique, and following your advice gets top qual springerle even with my high humidity. Thanks for posting it. Wishing everyone wonderful Dec baking days, Shirley
Yes, the altitude is a factor. Leave out the baking soda and see if that works.
Connie
Hi Connie I am loving your mold designs and wonder if they would work with a shortbread recipe?
I am sorry but I did not see where you answered the question as to how you measure the flour, by ‘dip and sweep’ or ’spoon the flour into the cup and level off’. I look forward to your answer.
Hi Deanne,
Dip and sweep is the method I use for the gingerbread recipes.
Best,
Connie
Do you have a gram weight for the flour in the recipes? I find that there can be so much variation in how it’s scooped that weighing the flour is so much more helpful.
You mention that only deeply carved molds should be used for gingerbread cookies so I searched your website and found many that were described as deeply carved. However…the mold I wanted to buy -Rosettes m7825 – is not described as deeply molded. Do you think Rosettes m7825 mold it would be good for gingerbread? If not, would my second choice – Cassie’s Garden m7615 – be good for gingerbread? Thank you, I am of Dutch heritage and I’m really looking forward to using traditional cookie molds.
I have two questions:
Will this recipe work with a springerle rolling pin?
Are these gingerbread cookies hard or are they tender? I’m looking for something that doesn’t have to be dunked to be eaten!
You can use a rolling pin, but use one with a fairly bold design, as very fine details will be lost in this dough.
These are a softer, sweeter gingerbread than the sturdy German gingerbread.
I will be working on gram weights next year for all our recipes. I agree that weighing your ingredients can be a very good way to get consistent results.
Look for those next year. Can you believe it’s almost 2013????
Connie
Thanks Connie, I think this recipe will work with my rolling pin. It’s one of those old wooden dime-store springerle pins. The designs are simple and fairly deep. And I’m glad to know that these cookies are a bit softer. I love the hard old German cookies, but most of my family and friends like their cookies a little less “rugged”.
For my House on the Hill molds I will use the butter springerle recipe–the one that was on a page in an ancient House on the Hill brochure. I’ve used that recipe for years and years, and everybody loves it!
I have used Icon bread stamps to stamp cookies and they came out beautiful. I am now looking to move on to your beautiful molds. To stamp with the bread stamp I used pouches of Betty Crocker cookie mix (please don’t faint) and added some bread flour (because of its high gluten content) while hand kneading the dough. The cookies held the image beautifully while baking and the taste was fantastic. I used the sugar cookie, molasses and peanut butter mixes, all worked beautifully. I don’t know if adding some high gluten flour to the gingerbread would help with the image problems. Adding gluten is a common suggestion on cookie stamping websites and it does work.
Since I am incredibly lazy when it comes to baking I would like to use the same store bought dough for your molds using the same technique I used for the bread stamps. One of the molds I would like to purchase is the ’spectacular nativity’ mold. It looks rather challenging to use on cookie dough because of the detail. Would it be a problem to use it on cookie dough? Has anyone tried that particular mold with the edible chocolate modeling clay? I assume it would work well with fondant.
I made these at christmas time. I thought i let them dry long enough.
they poofed and much of the design was lost. some were more successful then others. The texture and taste were very good. I will try some of the suggestions above for next time.
Keep trying. How long did you let them dry??? Should be 24 hours.
Connie
Hi Lynne,
It is so hard for me to answer your questions since I have never tried using a cookie mix, nor adding bread flour to sugar cookie dough. A summer experiment perhaps for me. In general, I would suggest using recipes that are specifically developed for cookie molds, but I am curious about the gluten addition.
The Spectacular Nativity mold is very deep, but all the molds work beautifully with fondant. In fact, fondant is easy to use, as is chocolate modeling clay. Just bush the mold with confectioner’s sugar instead of flour.
Connie
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