Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing

Gingerbread Shortbread

In Recipes by Sean6 Comments

Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing decoration
Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing decoration

Gingerbread
Shortbread

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Gingerbread shortbread is... well, exactly what it sounds like - the delicious, spice-forward flavour of scratch-made gingerbread combined with the buttery richness of shortbread!  This twist on two holiday cookie classics is easy to make, easy to customize, and a great for sharing.

Ever since I first started this tradition of posting holiday shortbread recipes, I've been struck by how just how quickly the season sneaks up on me. For better or worse, my self-imposed cookie publishing deadline never fails to call attention to how quickly the year's end is creeping up.  And 2022, well, it's been a creeper.

Funny enough, I actually had the idea for this recipe all ready to go last year, so I figured I'd be able to get this one done well in advance.  Let's all roll our eyes together on that one, shall we?  I should have known that simply having a great holiday cookie idea wasn't going to get me to make it any earlier.  I might aspire to proactivity, but I generally prefer to settle for procrastination.

But we're here now, and the cookies are baked, and they are very Christmas-y, and all is well.  They've got the aromatic spice-rich flavour of scratch-made gingerbread, and the buttery sweetness of shortbread.  I wish they had a better name than 'gingerbread shortbread' though... two breads in one name. Perhaps gingortbread? Shortgerbread? Maybe we need to mine other languages for some ideas.  The French sablé d'épices sounds pretty fancy.  Perhaps German - pfefferbutterkeks.  I kinda like that one.  I'll let you decide.

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Now then, if you just wanted to jump right on down to the recipe and get baking - well you go ahead and do that!  But I can't help reflect on the end of the year, and on why exactly it is that I'm here.  I create these recipes because I love food, AND because I love the wonderful, creative, educational doors that are opened up by food.  So, as I prepped the many gingerbread spices, I decided to write a little about the incredible and surprising chemistry of gingerbread.

Is it important that you understand the chemistry of gingerbread? Well... no? Yes? I don't know really - you can make these cookies without reading any of that stuff and they'll taste every bit as good as mine.  But spices and their unique chemical compositions have captured our imaginations - and our money - for centuries.  Intense and bloody wars have been fought for spices. Past and present global politics are intricately tied to the imperialist economies of the spice trade.  For better and for worse, the world has been shaped in part because of the unmistakable appeal of a cinnamon stick.  Spices matter, and they always have.

From a more pragmatic perspective, understanding the chemistry of spices can also make you a better cook.  No spice is defined by a single chemical.  Instead, spices are unique and distinctive thanks to the complex co-mingling of numerous complimentary organic compounds.  Many potent and distinctive compounds are actually found across a wide range of related and unrelated herbs and spices, albeit at different combinations and in the company of various compatriot compounds that affect our perception of the ingredients as a whole.  Eugenol, which I'll discuss below in more detail, is the key aroma/flavour component of cloves - but it's also found in cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sweet basil and... celery.  Yes, celery.

This isn't mere trivia though; a deeper understanding of food chemistry can change how you cook, and what flavours you bring together in your own culinary creations.  And really, that's why I'm here. I want you to cook, and to bake, and to experience food more deeply.  I want you to love what you do, to love your food, and to love learning.

Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Chemistry

Gingerbread is actually a very broad, very complex, and very old culinary tradition with a pretty wide array of types and subtypes.  Regardless of the variation, gingerbread is a pretty remarkable exercise in culinary extravagance - at least by the standards of the 16th-19th centuries.  Cookies would already be something of an extravagancy for Western bakers, but then imagine adding ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, all of which were sourced and shipped from from unfamiliar tropical lands located halfway across the world. Honestly, it's a little stunning to me that global economics have led us to think of most of these spices as everyday items.

Why do these spices captivate us so? Why did we spend outlandish quantities of money just to treat ourselves with them? Why did we fight and kill and die for them?

Chemistry.  Spices are loaded with intense, aromatic chemical compounds.  These contribute distinct and highly appealing scent and flavour profiles, combining in myriad ways to create the unique culinary signatures of the spices we enjoy  Because a little spice goes a long way, and because many of these compounds withstand cooking and baking relatively unscathed, they can have an outsized impact on the way we cook and bake.

But why do these spice compounds appeal to us? Why do we smell the bark of a cinnamon tree and instantly feel the desire to incorporate it into our food? Well, it's a little complicated.  Spices don't provide us with any meaningful nutrition, but they may actually help keep us alive in another way.  Many of the chemicals that draw us to spices also have antibacterial, antifungal, and/or other medicinal properties.  Spicing our food may have actually made it safer to eat.

Still, this is by no means the whole story.  Humans first started cooking food between 300,000 and 2 million years ago, but we most likely already had built-in tastes for aromatic spices.  But why would this be? One thought is that our distant evolutionary forebears developed positive associations with these ingredients thanks to the reproductive advantages conferred by self-medicating with them.  We see many different animals self-medicate with plants that they would otherwise avoid, ostensibly to treat things like digestive disorders and parasitic infections.  Plants produce chemicals meant to deter predation, including many distinctive and pungent ones that are meant to serve as flagrant warnings to any would-be plant-munchers.  But many animals have learned to co-opt these defensive compounds for their own benefits.  A chemical that keeps bacteria out of a plant may well also keep bacteria from running rampant in our bodies.  Any genetic variations that would have caused these animal ancestors to actually enjoy these compounds would most likely have conferred a further advantage.  A spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, if you will.

An evolutionarily driven penchant for medicinal compounds does make sense. But there's another interesting possibility too; we may like certain spices simply thanks to accidents of chemistry.  Chemistry - and especially organic chemistry (the branch of the science that concerns itself with carbon-containing molecules), is a fascinatingly structural thing.  We are able to detect and (in many cases) react to biologically important chemical compounds because of their shapes.

Let's look at simple table sugar, or sucrose.  Sucrose tastes sweet because of the way that molecules of it fit into tiny molecular receptors on our tongues, much like little locks and keys.  Contrast this with the chemical sucralose (sold under the brand name Splenda).  Sucralose does not exist in nature, so we certainly could not have evolved a liking for it.  But thanks to its shape and composition (and some other interesting stuff we're still working out), a molecule of sucralose interacts with those same receptors in a way that causes our brains to perceive it as 400-800 times sweeter than sugar.

Many of the organic compounds found in herbs and spices are chemically and structurally similar.  And while it is highly likely that we've evolved a taste for some of these thanks to their pharmaceutical benefits, it's also possible that other compounds simply came along for the ride.  Take a look at the chemical structures on the cookies below (yes, on the cookies).  You'll see that they all contain a hexagon.  These hexagons are rings made up of six carbon atoms (one at each corner).  Three of these hexagons have an additional set of three lines drawn in an alternating fashion around the inside.  This is the structural drawing for benzene (C6H6).  Benzene is an incredibly important building block for a vast array of organic molecules.  But on its own, benzene is, uh... not great for you.  It's a known carcinogen, and exposure to large quantities can be fatal.  But it also has a strange, semi-sweet smell that can be strangely appealing.  In fact, you've probably smelled it pretty recently; benzene is partly responsible for the distinctive scent of gasoline.

Chemical structure of benzene iced on a gingerbread shortbread cookie
Mmm... benzene.

It's at this point that I should note that there's really no such thing as a 'good' or a 'bad' chemical.  An appealing chemical compound that may have helped our ancestors treat or avoid illness can still present risks, or even outright danger.  The chemicals I've (literally) outlined below are responsible for making gingerbread special, and yet each one is definitely complex from the perspective of health and safety.

Learning about this stuff can be eye-opening, but also a little nerve-wracking.  It's worth remembering that quantities are very, very meaningful when it comes to chemistry and our health.  As Paracelsus so famously said, the dose makes the poison. Take Vitamin A, for example.  It's necessary for our survival, and yet large doses of it can destroy your liver and even kill you.  Because it's not a binary, black-and-white sort of thing, the mere presence of any one chemical compound in your food doesn't necessarily mean all that much.  Just because chemical 'X' is in your dinner doesn't mean that it's going to cure all that ails you, nor does it immediately put you at risk for dropping dead.  This grey area can be frustrating, but it can also be fascinating.  Tasty, too.

Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing

Cookie Chem 101

Gingerbread is a positive cavalcade of incredible and intense spices.  You can buy gingerbread mixes, but making your own spice blend really makes you realize just how many really amazing flavours and aromas are coming together just so we can make cookies.  To celebrate that fact, I thought it'd be fun to explore a handful of the fascinating chemicals that make gingerbreads (and its individual component spices) so special.

Below you'll find what I think are some of the most interesting flavour-building chemicals found in gingerbread shortbread.  I've included a little science and story with each one, and I've illustrated the chemical structures with royal icing on the cookies.  Why did I do this? Three reasons. First, I really like organic chemistry structural drawings.  Second, I had initially tried drawing mathematically accurate snowflakes, and I was not having a good time.  So you get a chemistry article instead of a math one.  Third - there are a lot of food blogs out there in the world, and it can be difficult at times to feel like you're doing something truly novel.  But I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I'm the first food writer to bake hybrid gingerbread-shortbread cookies and ice them with the chemical structure of a psychoactive spice.  That's my Christmas present to me.

(FYI, it's not vital that you understand how these drawings work in order to understand the writing, but if you're unfamiliar with chemistry structural notation and you want to learn what exactly these funky little geometric drawings represent, give this link a try.  It does take a bit of time to learn, but it's actually quite beautifully intuitive once you get the basics down.)

Chemical structure of zingiberene iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies

Zingiberene

C15H24 - IUPAC name: 2-Methyl-5-(6-methylhept-5-en-2-yl)cyclohexa-1,3-diene

Fun to say, and fun to eat. Zingiberene is a distinctive and dominant flavour component of ginger (Zingiber officinale).  It is, safe to say, pretty important to gingerbread.  But while it is responsible for much of the flavour of ginger, it's not responsible for the spicy 'bite' that you get from raw ginger.  That honour belongs to a compound called gingerol, which activates the spice receptors found on our tongues and other mucous membranes in a fashion similar to the capsaicin found in chilies.

Interestingly, while zingiberene survives the drying process nicely, gingerol does not.  The dried ginger you use to make gingerbread contains plenty of ginger flavour, but the gingerol actually breaks down into other chemicals called shogaols.  But if you've ever tasted dried ginger, you'll know that it's also quite fiery. That's because shogaols are actually even more pungent/spicy than gingerol, making dried ginger even more fiery than its fresh compatriot.  But why then, is gingerbread not a fiery exercise in cookie masochism? Well, gingerols and shogaols begin to break down when they're heated.  Zingiberene, on the other hand, makes it through the baking process relatively unscathed, leaving your cookies with plenty of ginger flavour, and little of that ginger fire.

Dried ginger is noticeably different from fresh ginger, and is in some respects more similar to cooked ginger.  This is thanks in part to the presence of zingerone, which is formed from the breakdown of gingerol.  Zingerone gives dried and cooked ginger a distinctive sweetness not found in the raw root.  It's also, interestingly, very chemically similar to vanillin (the primary scent component of vanilla) and eugenol, which we'll see below in a moment.

Ginger has long been treated as both a food and a medicine.  Zingiberene and other ginger constituents have a lot of promising and potentially beneficial effects (especially vis a vis nausea and digestion), but it's quite a bit too much to get into the details here.  If you're interested in learning more, Science Direct is a good jumping off point.

Chemical structure of cinnamaldehyde iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies

Cinnamaldehyde

C9H8O - IUPAC name: (2E)-3-Phenylprop-2-enal

This probably isn't going to surprise you, but cinnamaldehyde is an aldehyde found in cinnamon.

Cinnamaldehyde is one of many highly fragrant and distinctive food aldehydes. Vanillin (in vanilla) and benzaldehyde (in almonds) are two other prominent ones that frequently find their way into baked goods.  Interestingly, it's the aldehydes decanal and dodecanal in cilantro that give it the distinctive flavour and the 'soapy' quality that some people despise.  How you perceive those particular aldehydes depends on your genetics.

Cinnamaldehyde is the key component responsible for the distinct aroma of cinnamon and cassia.  It's also one of those chemicals compounds that happens to have a fascinating, almost bizarre diversity of uses.  Cinnamaldehyde is a pretty solid anti-mosquito insecticide, displays interesting anti-mutagenic and DNA protective properties, and can be used to prevent steel from corroding.

So it's good for you, right? Well... sort of?  You see, cinnamaldehyde also decomposes to form styrene, which is a known carcinogen.  All cinnamon contains at least a little styrene (more if its shipped and/or stored under poor conditions), and the potential danger posed by consuming extremely high levels of cinnamon can't be ruled out.  Do the quantities of cinnamon used in baking present any risks? Almost certainly no. But, by the same logic, it's not fair to say that it will confer some kind of health or protective benefit either.  Dosage is, as always, a complex thing to sort out.

Fortunately, cinnamaldehyde smells incredible, and it makes gingerbread shortbread (and so many other things) taste amazing.  So regardless of what else it does, you'll always have that.

Chemical structure of alpha-terpineol iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies

Alpha-Terpineol

C10H18O - IUPAC name: p-Menth-1-en-8-ol 2-(4-Methylcyclohex-3-en-1-yl)propan-2-o

Alpha-terpineol is a bit of an odd inclusion in this list, as its not a chemical whose aroma immediately jumps to mind when you think about gingerbread.  One of four possible isomers of terpineol, α-terpineol is frequently described as having a floral/lilac aroma, with sweet, woody, and citrusy notes.  It comes into play in this recipe for gingerbread shortbread thanks to the use of cardamom.

Cardamom is a highly complex, and (in my opinion) underrated spice.  It's sweet, citrusy, piney, and floral all at once.  This has a lot to do with its complex organic chemistry, and the many different chemicals that contribute flavour and aroma.  Alpha-terpineol is only one of these chemicals, but it serves as a really lovely counterpoint to the headier and more pungent gingerbread flavours that you find in spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

As with many of the other compounds listed here, α-terpineol has an impressive list of capabilities and potential uses.  But what I find particularly interesting about α-terpineol is how structurally similar it is to a number of other very distinctive and very important flavour chemicals.  A wide variety of natural and laboratory processes can be used to convert α-terpineol to or from α-pinene (responsible for the evergreen scent of pines and rosemary) and limonene (responsible for the distinctive aroma of citrus peels), all with relative ease.  In fact, cardamom contains all of these closely related compounds and many more, which helps explain why it's so complex, yet broadly complimentary.  If you haven't used cardamom much in the past, I highly encourage you to explore with it more now, as the chemistry makes it something of a culinary secret weapon.

Chemical structure of eugenol iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies

Eugenol

C10H12O2 - IUPAC name: 2-Methoxy-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)phenol

A little numbness while reading about gingerbread could be explained by my waxing poetic about organic chemistry.  A little numbness while eating gingerbread, on the other hand, could be caused by eugenol.

Eugenol is difficult to describe, mainly because we can only really use self-referential terms.  Cloves are loaded with eugenol, and it's the primary source of their unique and powerful spiced aroma.  We can basically say that eugenol smells like cloves, and vice versa.  However, cloves aren't the only source of eugenol - even in this shortbread recipe!  Bay leaves (which I used in last year's shortbread), nutmeg, cinnamon, and basil also contain significant quantities of eugenol, albeit at levels that tend to compliment rather than define their fundamental aromas.

But eugenol isn't just a flavour - it's also an anesthetic and analgesic.  It's commonly used in dentistry, and - interestingly - for anesthetizing or even euthanizing fish. Good to know, if you have to put a fish to sleep.  Eugenol's anesthetic properties aren't especially powerful in mammals, and the compound seems to be toxic to the liver at particularly high doses or with prolonged exposure, so it's not a great candidate for systemic anesthetic use in humans.  However, scientific investigation and understanding of the anesthetic properties of eugenol led to the development of chemically similar and highly potent anesthetics such as propofol.

In food, moderate levels of eugenol can cause a numbness or tingling on the tongue.  Clove-containing foods like gingerbread can induce this sensation in some people, but cloves aren't the only culprits. Interestingly, celery - which contains surprisingly high levels of eugenol - makes some people's tongues particularly numb or tingly.

Chemical structure of myristicin iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies

Myristicin

C11H22O3 - IUPAC name: 7-Allyl-5-methoxy-1,3-benzodioxole

If you like controversial and complicated chemicals, then you'll find that I've saved the best for last.

Myristicin is a key flavour and aroma component in nutmeg, and ohhhh boy is it interesting stuff.  It's an effective insecticide, and a synergistic one at that, meaning that it actually improves the efficacy of other insecticides.  It's also toxic to living cells, yet potentially useful for mitigating the toxic effects of chemotherapy. But there's another feature of myristicin that tends to garner the most pop-sci attention: it gets you high.

Before I go any further, let me say right off the bat that a) eating a little nutmeg isn't going to get you high, and b) basically nobody (myself included) would EVER recommend you try to get high with nutmeg.  You will not have a good time.

Myristicin has a chemical structure that is very similar to the class of drugs known as amphetamines.  It can serve as a starting point for the synthetic production of designer psychedelic drugs like MMDA and MDMA (ecstasy).  But even on its own myristicin has psychoactive properties, including hallucinogenic effects.  But as a recreational drug, nutmeg leaves a great deal to be desired.  Consumption of large quantities of nutmeg can cause convulsions, palpitations, nausea, and other rather unpleasant effects.  On top of this, the effects of nutmeg toxicity can last for many hours, or even days at a time.  The overall mechanism is not terribly well understood, and nutmeg toxicity seems to vary a great deal between individuals.  Myristicin itself is probably responsible for some of aspects of nutmeg toxicity, but the many other compounds present (including eugenol - see above) likely play a role as well.

So... should you worry about cooking with nutmeg? No - unless you're planning on using really, really ridiculous quantities of it.  An individual dose of 15 grams of nutmeg (around 7 tsp) will deliver a 400 mg dose of myristicin - enough to induce "mild cerebral stimulation" in 4 out of 10 adult subjects - though in some cases 5 grams (around 2.3 tsp) is enough.  But the toxic effects of nutmeg begin to kick in at around 5 grams, meaning that most people consuming large quantities of nutmeg will feel either sick and high, or just plain sick.

Interestingly, it is possible to accidentally overdose on nutmeg.  Most nutmeg overdoses/poisonings are due to intentional recreational ingestion, but a over a quarter of reported poisonings are caused by people (especially children) getting large amounts of powdered nutmeg on their skin, in their eyes, or on their mucous membranes.  If you grind (rather than grate) nutmeg yourself, especially with an electric spice grinder, make sure to let it settle so you don't get a face full of nutmeg dust.

Chemical structure of myristicin iced on gingerbread shortbread cookies
All this time, it turns out that 'HO HO HO' was really about repeated hydroxyl groups...

Recipe Notes

Don't let the long read above throw you off - you don't need to be a chemist to make these cookies. Gingerbread shortbread is actually quite simple and foolproof.  I've included a few notes here, but you should find it pretty straightforward to get started.

Butter Temperature & Storing the Dough

Making shortbread with cold butter is a pain, as it's difficult to incorporate with the sugar and flour. I recommend room temperature butter when you're making the dough. That being said, it can be easier to work with the dough when it's a little bit chilled.  If you've got the time, you can throw the gingerbread shortbread dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before shaping your cookies.  You can also chill it overnight in the fridge, but then you'll need to warm it back up to a workable consistency.  Still, it is handy if you want to make on one day and bake on another.  The dough can also be frozen and defrosted to use another day.

Spice Quantities

This is very spice-forward gingerbread. If you're used to a milder cookie, you might even find these a bit intense. If you want something a little milder, I would recommend one of two things:

  1. Use a bit less gingerbread spice (try 2 to 2.5 tbsp),
  2. Omit the black pepper and the mace.

The first hack is pretty self-explanatory.  The second involves reducing some of the more pungent/biting/numbing spice components without reducing the overall spice-rich character of the gingerbread shortbread.  I like a little bit of kick (and even a touch of bitterness) in my gingerbread, but if you want to focus a bit more on the warming ginger and cinnamon notes, this might be the approach for you.

Spice Substitutions

Spice mixes are always very personal, so don't be afraid to experiment.  If you've got a gingerbread spice mix you like, feel free to sub it in here.  If you want/need to sub certain aspects of this recipe however, there are steps you can take.

I prefer to bake with true cinnamon, but you can also use cassia (which is what most store-bought pre-ground 'cinnamon' actually is in North America anyway).  Cassia tends to have a bit more of of an anise flavour than true cinnamon, which can be nice in gingerbread.

I include both nutmeg and mace in my spice mix, but you can omit the mace if you can't find it. Mace, for the uninitiated, is the soft aril that surrounds the nutmeg seed.  It tastes a lot like nutmeg, but with a more pronounced spicy intensity.  As I mentioned above, if you want a little less kick in your cookies, try omitting the mace.

Molasses Substitutions

Molasses tends to define the flavour of North American style gingerbread, but many Old World recipes call for other ingredients like honey or sugar.

If you want a lighter gingerbread, you can omit the molasses and substitute the same quantity of honey, or 1/3 cup of sugar (brown or white).  Another alternative is treacle, which can be quite similar to molasses.  As with honey, treacle can be substitute for molasses at a 1:1 ratio.  Golden or light treacle will be similar to working with honey, while dark treacle will be quite similar to molasses.

Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing

Royal Icing

You can use any royal icing recipe you like, or a store-bought icing.  You can also go with un-iced cookies if you like, though I personally think that the hard sweet bite of the icing is the perfect way to finish off gingerbread shortbread.

I made a very simple royal icing based on the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.  If you want to use egg whites rather than meringue powder, Alton Brown's recipe is a great one.

Regardless of the recipe you use, the keys to success for royal icing are generally the same.  Work in a very clean, dry bowl, and measure your quantities carefully (I prefer to measure powdered sugar by weight).  Do NOT be tempted to add too much liquid early on.  Yes, there's very little liquid added, and yes, the icing will look thick. You can thin it out at the end, but you can undo adding too much water or egg white early on.

I like to add just a tiny pinch of the leftover gingerbread spice to my royal icing to really tie everything together.  You might see the occasional fleck of spice in the icing if you do this, but I think it's worth it.

Finally, a note on quantity. It's difficult to make a small amount of royal icing.  I cut the recipe above down by 2/3rds, which my stand mixer can just manage (any less and the whisk attachment just can't get into the sugar properly).  This is still more icing than I need.  I suggest freezing the rest and using it at a later date.  Or... make more gingerbread shortbread and share them with friends and family!

Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing
Note: Nutritional Information is given for a single cookie, with icing (1/48 portion of the dough recipe, plus ~1/2 tsp added icing).
Nutrition Facts
Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 137 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 69mg3%
Potassium 75mg2%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 240IU5%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Summary

GOOD NEWS:

Shortbread really leans into the butter rather than the sweetness, so (as far as cookies g0), there's not actually all that much added sugar.

BAD OBVIOUS NEWS:

They're cookies, composed primarily of flour, butter, and sugar. They're rich, and they're added calories.  This is why they're treats. Enjoy them in moderation, and don't feel bad about it. Heck, I'm going to eat one right now.

TRIM IT DOWN:

You can't really do much to trim these down per se, but don't underestimate the power of making little cookies ('thumbprint' shortbread is always really nice).  Even better: give half of them to your friends and family.  Tis the season and all.

Ingredient & Pantry Pages

No ingredient or pantry pages have been written yet for any of the components of this recipe.  Like to see one?  Let me know in the comments below or by email.

Categories

(Note: cooking and prep time should be under 30 minutes, but the cookies will need to cool before icing and set after)
Gingerbread shortbread cookies with royal icing
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5 from 5 votes

Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies

The delicious, spice-forward flavour of scratch-made gingerbread combined with the buttery richness of shortbread!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Cooling/Setting Time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Canadian, European, North American
Keyword: christmas cookie recipe, gingerbread variation, shortbread variation
Servings: 48 cookies
Calories: 137kcal

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets
  • 1 spice grinder (if using whole spices for the gingerbread)
  • 1 piping bag (if desired, for royal icing)

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 cups butter at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp gingerbread spice mix (see below)

Gingerbread Spice Mix (makes a little extra)

  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cloves ground (or ~1/4 tsp pre-ground)
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1 blade mace (optional)
  • 2-3 black peppercorns ground (optional)

To Decorate

  • 1 cup royal icing (optional - see note)

Instructions

  • Prepare and combine the gingerbread spices. If you're using any whole spices, be sure to grind them thoroughly. Set aside.
  • Position two racks in the center of your oven (or one, if you're doing a half recipe). Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, thoroughly combine the butter, sugar, molasses, salt, and gingerbread spices.
  • Add flour to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing until a malleable dough is formed. It should have a consistency rather like playdough.
  • Add flour to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing until a malleable dough is formed. It should have a consistency rather like playdough.
  • Form the dough into small circles and flatten into patties by hand or, for a more uniform appearance, by pressing them into a small measuring cup or circular cookie cutter.
  • Space the cookies out by about 5 cm (2 inches) on a cookie-sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the flaky 'baked' look extends from the edges to the center. Because of the darker colour of the shortbread, it can be difficult to see when they start to brown, so don't rely too heavily on that metric.
    Baking time can vary depending on your oven and the colour/composition of your baking sheet, so keep an eye on the cookies.
  • Set the cookies aside to cool.
  • Prepare the royal icing (if using). Once the cookies are cool to the touch, decorate with royal icing, then set aside to harden - preferably overnight.

Notes

Volume vs. Weight Measurements
The actual weight of a given volume of flour or powdered sugar can vary quite a bit depending on a variety of factors.  The weights given for the metric conversion are based on my actual measurements, rather than 'standard' conversions.
Gingerbread Spice Notes
This gingerbread spice mix is fairly intense and spice forward.  If you want to make a slightly milder cookie, consider using less of the spice mix (2-2.5 tbsp), and/or consider omitting the black pepper and mace, as these two ingredients tend to contribute the most to the pungent 'kick' of the finished cookies.
Basic Royal Icing
I recommend doing a bit of reading on various recipes to find one you like, but I used this basic format small-batch recipe:
  • 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp meringue powder
  • pinch of gingerbread spice
  • 1/4 cup water
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment, slowly add the water until the icing reaches the desired consistency.  Place the icing in a piping bag, then decorate your cookies!

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

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Sakura
Sabure

Sakura Sabure - Japanese shortbread cookies with candied sakura

Lemon
& Bay Leaf

Lemon and Bay Leaf Shortbread

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  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely delicious! The sweet royal icing, the buttery cookie and the hit of spice hitting your taste buds seconds later. Love it!

  2. OH wow! How to go deep into spices! Thanks for the dissection of spices, really interesting… my brother is chemist and he’s so good at cooking because of it! Chemistry and Cooking are quite a duo! I made some gingerbread man cookies this month but, where I live, in Spain, it’s hard to find molasse… I should start an import. But as you’ve said: honey is a great substitute. Also, I’m quite surprised that you can get an overdose of nutmeg by skin contact… i thought it was solely by eating it… I’ll be careful to keep my nutmeg grinder away from the small ones. Thanks for the lovely article.

  3. 5 stars
    wow glad i didn’t fail chemistry in school! you need a scientist to figure all this out! Thanks for sharing the info. it was quite fascinating!! Awesome recipe – it was super tasty!

  4. 5 stars
    Hahaha. You almost make me want to give two hoots about chemistry, Sean. I loved how you demonstrated the structures on cookies with icing though. Maybe if my organic chem prof would have used cookies, I would have been more interested.

  5. 5 stars
    OK first – you just combined two things that my hubby loves – shortbread and gingerbread, and they did NOT disappoint. They are perfectly spiced and just honestly incredible. Second, you got this science nerd all pumped up to learn more and more. I’m seriously fascinated by all this info. So much so, that I’ve bookmarked the post to go back to. Absolutely love it, thank you for sharing. Hard not to get excited when you’re learning at the same time as doing something i love – cooking.

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