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Gingerbread baking is as seasonal as wrapping gifts and singing carols. Gum drop bedecked houses and candy-eyed men are among the classic incarnations of this sweet, yet sometimes savory, dough. Each year in early December, I bake more than 200 gingerbread cookies for my annual holiday gathering. Christmas trees, snowmen, stars and dreidels are among my favorite cut-out shapes. I frost them, and then cover them in sugar crystals and tiny chocolate candies. They are an annual must and this year is no exception!
One Thousand Years in Europe
Gingerbread has been a revered food in Western Europe for almost one thousand years, thought to be introduced by the Crusaders. Originally made with breadcrumbs and honey, the dough ranged from intensely sweet to incredibly spicy, from light to dark. We think of gingerbread as containing sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, at the very least. But medieval gingerbreads often included cardamom and anise from the Far East, as well as black or white pepper to add a savory, sharp spice. Whether a soft cake, or a flat crispy cookie, gingerbread was almost always cut into shapes. Men, women, animals, and flowers were often stamped with a design and sprinkled with sugar to manifest the impression.
Germany probably has the strongest tradition of gingerbread in Europe, thanks in part to the fact that the gingerbread capital of Nuremburg was favorably positioned along the ancient spice routes. Therefore, it is no surprise that gingerbread making was regarded as a serious profession there. In the seventeenth century, artisan bakers established guilds where the craft could be taught and preserved. Even carpenters, sculptors, painters and goldsmiths participated in the gingerbread guilds by building and painting molds. Gingerbread was not baked at home, except on Christmas and Easter; only the master bakers known as the Lebkuchler were licensed to manufacture this delicacy. The oldest gingerbread recipe in writing dates back to the 16th century and is kept in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg.
Gingerbread guilds were established in France as well, elevating the baking of pain d’epices (spice breads) to an art form, separate and apart from the baking of other pastries and cakes. In fact, gingerbread was so popular in France that an annual festival was held from the eleventh to the nineteenth centuries in Paris at the present day St. Antoine hospital, which was once an old abbey. Monks there sold cakes in the shape of pigs.
An American Tradition above All
Although the tradition of gingerbread houses is German--romanticized in the early nineteenth century by the Grimm Brothers’ introduction of the Hansel and Gretel story--the practice is most popular today in America. The United States is where the most elaborate and extraordinary gingerbread houses are baked, especially at Christmastime. This German tradition was introduced in Pennsylvania and ultimately pervaded the country, making gingerbread houses a national icon of a winter wonderland.
As gingerbread may be diverse in its taste and texture, so too are the ingredients. Regional variations today in America may include maple syrup gingerbread from New England and molasses gingerbread from the South. Spices also vary, of course. The ultimate use of the gingerbread determines the ingredients, as well. A soft cake recipe may include buttermilk and melted butter, whereas a crispy cookie recipe will not.
Holiday Gingerbread Recipe
My recipe (below) is a multi-purpose cookie recipe for rolled dough from which shapes are cut. I use molasses and dark brown sugar (dark brown
sugar is made with molasses, after all), which give the cookie dough an intensely dark color and rich flavor. The spices are basic: ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The result is a crispy "snap" that is sweet with a medium spice. However, once iced, these cookies soften and become chewy within 48 hours. Other spices certainly could be added within the framework of this recipe, such as cardamom, allspice, nutmeg or mace.
Although I bake these cookies purely for the delight of eating them with friends, my recipe most definitely could be used to make gingerbread ornaments if holes were cut out before baking the shapes.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/lauren-braun-costello/193-gingerbread/
A Gingerbread World
Gingerbread baking is as seasonal as wrapping gifts and singing carols. Gum drop bedecked houses and candy-eyed men are among the classic incarnations of this sweet, yet sometimes savory, dough. Each year in early December, I bake more than 200 gingerbread cookies for my annual holiday gathering. Christmas trees, snowmen, stars and dreidels are among my favorite cut-out shapes. I frost them, and then cover them in sugar crystals and tiny chocolate candies. They are an annual must and this year is no exception!
One Thousand Years in Europe
Gingerbread has been a revered food in Western Europe for almost one thousand years, thought to be introduced by the Crusaders. Originally made with breadcrumbs and honey, the dough ranged from intensely sweet to incredibly spicy, from light to dark. We think of gingerbread as containing sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, at the very least. But medieval gingerbreads often included cardamom and anise from the Far East, as well as black or white pepper to add a savory, sharp spice. Whether a soft cake, or a flat crispy cookie, gingerbread was almost always cut into shapes. Men, women, animals, and flowers were often stamped with a design and sprinkled with sugar to manifest the impression.
Germany probably has the strongest tradition of gingerbread in Europe, thanks in part to the fact that the gingerbread capital of Nuremburg was favorably positioned along the ancient spice routes. Therefore, it is no surprise that gingerbread making was regarded as a serious profession there. In the seventeenth century, artisan bakers established guilds where the craft could be taught and preserved. Even carpenters, sculptors, painters and goldsmiths participated in the gingerbread guilds by building and painting molds. Gingerbread was not baked at home, except on Christmas and Easter; only the master bakers known as the Lebkuchler were licensed to manufacture this delicacy. The oldest gingerbread recipe in writing dates back to the 16th century and is kept in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg.
Gingerbread guilds were established in France as well, elevating the baking of pain d’epices (spice breads) to an art form, separate and apart from the baking of other pastries and cakes. In fact, gingerbread was so popular in France that an annual festival was held from the eleventh to the nineteenth centuries in Paris at the present day St. Antoine hospital, which was once an old abbey. Monks there sold cakes in the shape of pigs.
An American Tradition above All
Although the tradition of gingerbread houses is German--romanticized in the early nineteenth century by the Grimm Brothers’ introduction of the Hansel and Gretel story--the practice is most popular today in America. The United States is where the most elaborate and extraordinary gingerbread houses are baked, especially at Christmastime. This German tradition was introduced in Pennsylvania and ultimately pervaded the country, making gingerbread houses a national icon of a winter wonderland.
As gingerbread may be diverse in its taste and texture, so too are the ingredients. Regional variations today in America may include maple syrup gingerbread from New England and molasses gingerbread from the South. Spices also vary, of course. The ultimate use of the gingerbread determines the ingredients, as well. A soft cake recipe may include buttermilk and melted butter, whereas a crispy cookie recipe will not.
Holiday Gingerbread Recipe
My recipe (below) is a multi-purpose cookie recipe for rolled dough from which shapes are cut. I use molasses and dark brown sugar (dark brown
sugar is made with molasses, after all), which give the cookie dough an intensely dark color and rich flavor. The spices are basic: ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The result is a crispy "snap" that is sweet with a medium spice. However, once iced, these cookies soften and become chewy within 48 hours. Other spices certainly could be added within the framework of this recipe, such as cardamom, allspice, nutmeg or mace.
Although I bake these cookies purely for the delight of eating them with friends, my recipe most definitely could be used to make gingerbread ornaments if holes were cut out before baking the shapes.
Holiday Gingerbread
Made with sugar, egg, all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, brown sugar, butter, molasses
Made with sugar, egg, all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, brown sugar, butter, molasses
Serves/Makes: 24
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
Combine the first five ingredients, but just half the flour, in a mixing bowl. Then whisk in brown sugar.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and whisk into the flour mixture with molasses and egg. With a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining flour and sugar. Chill dough covered until firm for one up hour, or up to two days.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Use cookie cutters to create fun holiday shapes and place cookies two inches apart on the lined sheet.
Place sheet on the middle oven rack and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack before decorating.
Use frosting, sprinkles, currants, chocolate chips and whatever else strikes your fancy to decorate these holiday favorites.
Gingerbread will be crispy unless iced. For crispy iced cookies, ice up to one day in advance of serving. For chewy iced cookies, decorate at least two days in advance. In all cases, store in an airtight container.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/lauren-braun-costello/193-gingerbread/