1/13/2024 0 Comments Best gingerbread cookie recipeAlthough I found the recipe in an article about about edible decorations which seemed less than promising, I was very curious to try a golden syrup recipe. This recipe caught my eye for its use of golden syrup (no molasses) and overall very simple, eggless recipe (just 7 ingredients). Analysis of the Best Gingerbread Cookie Recipes Donna Hay: a lightly spiced, golden syrup-infused cookie with strong ginger notes The inclusion of molasses in the majority of the recipe probably overwhelms any nuances that a higher proportion of brown sugar vs. In the end, I didn’t see much of a pattern. Sugar: I was curious if recipes with brown sugar only would do better than white sugar only or vice versa. Of course, spread is a combination of many factors, but the butter:flour ratio is a key thing to watch if you’re looking for neatly baked cookies vs. Meanwhile, higher fat/lower flour cookies like Tartine, Baker by Nature, and even CI tended to spread a bit more. As you can see from the top picture, Borderlands held the most crisp cut out shape. Higher flour content of course led to slightly more dense and drier cookie textures, but there also seemed to be a slight correlation with cookies that better held their shape. CI’s texture was noticeably softer and moister than Sally’s.įlour: Flour content ranged from 40% (Baker by Nature, CI) to 48% (Borderlands) and 46% (Smitten Kitchen). While egg helps add structure, molasses adds sweetness and moisture, leading to a more delicate but potentially more moist cookie. To me, this was an interesting illustration that you don’t need egg to make a tender cookie. egg: CI and Sally’s recipes were very similar except for egg content–CI compensates for lack of egg with a slightly higher molasses content. Note that higher fat will generally lead to more spread in the baked cookies. Tartine (19%) and CI (17%) show a slight preference for higher fat cookies (likely because butter provides such great flavor and a tender texture). Butter content ranged anywhere from 13% (SK and Sally’s) to 21% (Baker by Nature). (Though I do think Tartine and CI are towards the slightly spicier end.) Best Gingerbread Cookie Factorsįat: Though some recipes use alternative fats like shortening and coconut oil, I chose to focus only on butter recipes for this bake off. If it was baked at a regular temp/time, I’m guessing it would have done much better.Ī theme: Generally, milder-flavored cookies did better (like Bake at 350, Baker by Nature) while spicier cookies like Moosewood and Smitten Kitchen to some extent proved slightly more divisive. Last place: I’m almost positive Donna Hay did poorly due to its relatively tough texture (the recipe I followed looked like it was meant for edible decorations–baked for a long time at a low temp). You can easily glaze any cookie base and achieve the same beautiful look and texture contrast! So while I think it is a great cookie and deserves high ratings, I think it’s very much worth checking out other cookies. Here are the numbers, as decided by my 44 tasters:įirst place: Tartine had a clear advantage as it was the only glazed cookie while all others used royal icing. The “winner” represents the most crowd-pleasing, but I encourage you to read through the full results as everyone’s “best” is subjective. Imperial granulated sugar and dark brown sugarĪs always, I must disclaim that I am an enthusiastic home baker (not a professional) and these results reflect my best efforts to make each recipe accurately.Unsalted and salted Land O Lakes butter.Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour.All cookies were frosted with a thin circle of Alton Brown’s royal icing.All tasting cookies were cut out using a 2.5″ biscuit cutter (like this one).Cookies were baked on baking sheets lined with Reynolds Kitchens parchment paper.All doughs that could be rested up to overnight were made the day before all other doughs were made the day of.METHODOLOGY // RESULTS // FACTORS // ANALYSIS // RECOMMENDATIONS Methodology Happily, I found at least four gingerbread recipes that I would absolutely make again for myself. But I was curious to see if I could find a recipe I actually liked, and amazingly, we succeeded! Note: all of these are soft and chewy-style gingerbread. It’s not a cookie I ever crave or gravitate towards because I’m not a huge spice cookie fan. I must confess up front that I’m not the biggest gingerbread fan.
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