Ingredients:
– 170 g butter
– 100 g brown sugar
– 100 g dark or golden syrup (you can substitute maple syrup or liquid honey)
– 40 g molasses (you can substitute liquid honey or syrup, but the cookies will be lighter)
– 2 large egg yolks
– 470 g wheat flour
Spices:
– 2 tbsp. 2 tbsp ground ginger
– 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
– 1/2 a. tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/3 tsp salt
Step-by-step:
1. Mix the flour, salt, and spices.
2. Whisk together the butter, softened at room temperature, and the brown sugar, which has been ground in a mortar. Add the sugar syrup and molasses (or honey/maple syrup). Add the egg yolks and beat again.
3. Stir in the flour mixed with the spices until a smooth dough begins to form. Finish kneading by hand. If the dough seems too loose, stir in a small drop of egg white. If it is too runny, add a pinch of flour.
4. Form two balls of dough and press to make them flatter. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper with a regular smooth rolling pin to a thickness of about 4-5 mm. Remove the top sheet of baking paper. You can sprinkle a little flour on the surface of the Algis Crafts embossing rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. Wipe off any excess flour. It is better not to add flour directly to the dough, so that the biscuits bake with a consistent colour. Slowly, with gentle pressure, pierce the dough with engraved rolling pin.
6. Press out the cookies with a cookie cutter. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes to make the decorations stand out.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 7-10 minutes, or until the edges are very slightly crisp. Start checking earlier and make sure that it does not darken heavily. It is important not to bake for too long, as overbaked biscuits harden.
8. Let them cool and taste!