Vegan Gingerbread - Soft, Moist, Delicious Holiday Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What makes gingerbread hard or soft? ›

Some gingerbread recipes require some time to soften after baking because they are initially firm. Gingerbread is made harder by molasses and honey, but it becomes softer when water is absorbed by the sugar.

If you end up with a really dry mixture at the end, I'd guess you have more flour than I do — just add TINY amounts of milk until it comes together, being careful not to over-do it.

“It shouldn't look flat or dry,” he said. “There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Golden Syrup

With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.

One of the easiest ways to reuse leftover gingerbread is by making it into a pie crust. Begin by breaking apart the gingerbread house or cookies, removing any leftover candies and then running it through a food processor until it gets crumbly. Next, add melted butter, egg and baking powder to the crumbs.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.

Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.) To roll out the cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other disk refrigerated.

I soften pre-baked gingerbread (typically before I eat it) by wrapping in a damp paper towel and microwaving for a few seconds. This might be possible with larger pre-baked gingerbread pieces as well.

Under-baking can cause a sunken cake and over-baking can cause a dry one, so making sure your gingerbread is properly baked is critical! Gingerbread is inherently slightly dense and heavy in texture, but each bite is perfectly flavored and moist and just melts in your mouth.

How do you know when soft gingerbread cookies are done? ›

It's harder to tell when gingerbread dough is golden brown as it's darker. If you touch the top of the cookie and it's nice and dry, the cookies are done.

Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name. A unique, spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and cake, its reputation quickly spread and it is now enjoyed by food lovers all over the world.

Gingerbread biscuits can be hard or soft, so if you want to make decorations, you'll need a recipe that will set hard and be very dry. The drier the biscuit is, the longer the icing will keep its original colour and stay hard. If the biscuits are soft, the icing will start to suck up moisture and colour over time.

gingerbread, in architecture and design, elaborately detailed embellishment, either lavish or superfluous. Although the term is occasionally applied to highly detailed and decorative styles, it is more often applied specifically to the work of American designers of the late 1860s and '70s.

Comments for How to harden gingerbread when it becomes too soft? Putting it back in the oven does not work you have to find a recipe that is harder as putting it back in the oven only over bakes it. My suggestion is to put it back into the oven for up to 10 minutes. The temp of the oven should be around 325 degrees.

Let it dry

Beddall says patience is the most important part of gingerbread house making. “Most gingerbread disasters, collapses, and frustrations happen because the icing hasn't had an adequate amount of time to dry.

You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it! The sugar hardens quickly and creates an solid base for tons and tons of decorating.