Gingerbread cookies without molasses (2023)

Simple gingerbread recipe without molasses. A perfect honey gingerbread dough, with good flavor and very easy to work with.

There is no molasses at home, but you still want to bake gingerbread? This is the recipe you were looking for! No molasses gingerbread cookies, just a little honey and spices, a few other ingredients you already have in your pantry, and voila.

The result? Spicy and sweet gingerbread cookies that you can bake together with your kids, a perfect holiday project. Or you can try thesegerman shortbread cookiesthis isEule Cupcakes, children also love to decorate them.

Why love this recipe?

• It's made without molasses, so you don't have to buy anything else you can't use.
• The recipe has fewer ingredients than most gingerbread recipes I know of and that's always great! You will not lack anything on the palate.
• It has a perfect flavor so that adults and children can enjoy the cookies. Regular gingerbread with molasses is usually too much for children.
• You will need less than 10 minutes to mix the dough.
• You don't even need a blender, just a fork to mix the ingredients together.
• The dough is so easy to stretch and cut that it is a joy to work with.
• Gingerbread cookies do not spread when baked.
• They can be decorated with colored icing sticks. This way, you don't have to make additional royal icing or regular icing.

Ingredients

Most gingerbread recipes I know of call for molasses, golden syrup, or a combination of both. Well, I never have molasses or golden syrup at home unless I specifically buy them to make a recipe.

And what about the leftovers? They collect dust for months... I could use them in a recipe or two, but I never seem to finish one of those jars... what a waste!

Well, I've been making molasses-free gingerbread for years. What to use instead?

Mel!

• Simple and regular honey, golden and liquid type. Not the solid, white kind.

Brown sugar:

• It already contains quite a bit of molasses and this adds some much-needed extra flavor.

Spices:

• Not many, just a few that most people already have in their closet. Still, gingerbread cookies are perfectly flavorful and delicious, just the way they should be.
• You will need cinnamon, ground ginger and spices.

Other Ingredients:Flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and an egg.

How do you make gingerbread without molasses?

Time:

• Place honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat and stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool for about 5 minutes. (1)
• Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. (two)
• Add the honey mixture and the egg. (3)
• Mix as much as possible with a fork.
• When the dough thickens, briefly knead by hand until smooth. (4)
• Shape into a disk, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for 3-4 hours. You can also leave it overnight. The dough may still seem quite soft, but it rolls out very well and is strong and flexible.

Form:

• Preheat oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Divide the dough in half and store unused dough in the refrigerator.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 5mm thick.
• Cut the cookies, in my case beautiful gingerbread men. But you can use absolutely any cutter you like.
• Reserve extra time.
• Stretch the second dough and cut more cookies.
• Knead the rest of the dough quickly and roll it up again. Cut more cookies and repeat until all the dough is used.
• Hornee each batch for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

To decorate:

• Decorate with sticks of icing or royal icing.
• frosting sticksMake decorating a breeze, especially when cooking with kids. (Amazon affiliate link)

tips

Always use kitchen scales to measure ingredients when baking for best results.

Allow the honey mixture to cool slightly before adding it to the flour, if it is too hot you can add bits of egg. Briefly stir in the flour with a fork, then add the egg and finish stirring the dough.

The dough may seem too soft at first and will take a few hours in the fridge to set. It is very easy to roll though, a pasta dream!

Bake the cookies in batches. Fill a tray, put it in the oven and cut the next batch while the first is in the oven.

How to store?

Store in airtight containers. Molasses-free gingerbread can be kept at room temperature for at least a week. They last longer in the fridge.

Payment in advance?

The dough needs to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, so you need to make it ahead of time. In fact, you can make it 3-4 days ahead and store it tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can also freeze the dough for up to 6 months.

More Christmas cookies:

• Snickerdoodles sin Weinstein
• Shortbread
• argentinian alfajores
• Vanilla chicken verl
• pastry creams