Basic gingerbread recipe

In Hungary, gingerbread hearts have been given as gift for centuries. If not eaten, they will dry out over time and can keep for many years. All gingerbread decorating artists have their own recipe. I use different recipes according to the purpose of the cookies. This recipe is a great basic recipe. It's easy to work with, have a wonderful, mild flavor and the cookies will stay delicious for months. 

 ingredients:

750g (6 cup) flour

250g (2 1/2 cup) cup confectioner’s sugar

5 eggs

1/4 cup (half stick) butter

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½  tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

• Mix flour and baking soda in a large bowl.
• Mix rest of the ingredients in another bowl.
• Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and work it well together. Form a ball and let it rest for half an hour, wrapped in a plastic wrap.
• With this recipe you don’t have to wait overnight and the cookies will harden faster. This way this recipe is great for your bigger projects, like centerpieces.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Generously flour the surface you will work on. This way you will not need parchment paper.

Roll the dough about 1/8 inch thin. A fondant rolling pin with rolling pin guide rings is a really helpful tool.

 Cut out the desired shapes.

 Put the cookies on a non-stick cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. 

(I usually rotate 4 cookie sheets while baking).

Bake cookies for about 7 minutes or until ready. They are still a little soft when you remove them.

 Cut the holes for candle holders while still soft.

Cool cookies on a cooling rack.  

Store your cookies in a cool dry place. I like to use tin boxes to store my cookies until I decorate them.

After decorating the cookies I wrap them in cello bags.

UPDATE: Online classes about the basics are available now:

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