This is my take on holiday classic, resulting with a batch of lovely and fragrant gingerbread cookies that are not overly too sweet. If you’re feeling inspired, you can most certainly take these cookies even further and decorate them with royal icing or make cookie sandwiches with your favorite cream filling. But I personally prefer to nibble them on their own, while sipping some nice hot tea.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 40 cookies / 0.10 EUR per cookie / 4.09 EUR for all)

1 cup all-purpose flour (0.07 EUR)

1 cup whole wheat flour (0.10 EUR)

1 ½ cup ground walnuts (1.33 EUR)

2 tbsp raw cocoa powder (0.13 EUR)

1 tsp ground cinnamon (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp ground ginger (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp ground nutmeg (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp ground cloves (0.03 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

¼ tsp ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

1 cup butter, cubed and at room temperature (1.60 EUR)

1/3 cup sugar (0.07 EUR)

1 large egg (0.20 EUR)

1 egg yolk (0.20 EUR)

2 tbsp honey (0.27 EUR)

METHOD:

In a small bowl, mix together flour, ground walnuts, cocoa powder, cinnamon ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, yolk and honey until creamy. Bit by bit, incorporate the dry ingredients until a uniform mass forms, using a dough-hook attachment on your mixer. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and store in fridge for at least an hour, but best overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface and using a cookie cutter cut into desired shapes. Refrigerate any dough scraps for at least 15 minutes before re-rolling.

Arrange cookies on prepared baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on cookie thickness. Let cookies cool for about five minutes on a baking tray before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in a tin container, in a dry and cool place, for up to a month.

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Ovo je moja verzija tipičnih blagdanskih keksića, a paprenjaci mirišu prekrasno i nisu pretjerano slatki. Ako se osjećate nadahnutima, slobodno idite korak dalje pa kekse ukrasite šećernom glazurom ili složite sendviče od keksića i najdražeg kremastog punjenja. Ali ja ih osobno volim grickati ovakve kakvi jesu, bez ikakvih dodataka, uz šalicu vrućeg čaja.

SASTOJCI:

(Za oko 40 keksića / 0,77 kn po keksiću / 30,63 kn za sve)

1 šalica oštrog pšeničnog brašna (0,50 kn)

1 šalica integralnog pšeničnog brašna (0,75 kn)

1 ½ šalica mljevenih oraha (10,00 kn)

2 žlice kakao praha (1,00 kn)

1 žličica mljevenog cimeta (0,07 kn)

½ žličice mljevenog đumbira (0,25 kn)

½ žličice mljevenog muškatnog oraščića (0,25 kn)

½ žličice mljevenih klinčića (0,25 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

¼ žličice mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

1 šalica (200 g) maslaca, narezanog na kockice i na sobnoj temperaturi (12,00 kn)

1/3 šalice šećera (0,50 kn)

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

1 žutanjak (1,50 kn)

2 žlice meda (2,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

U zdjelici pomiješajte brašna, orahe, kakao, cimet, đumbir, muškatni oraščić, klinčice, sol i papar. U većoj zdjeli izmiksajte maslac i šećer da budu pjenasti. Umiksajte jaje, žutanjak i med da dobijete kremu. Malo po malo dodajte suhe sastojke i miksajte sa kukom za tijesto dok se ne formira jednolična masa. Zamotajte tijesto u prijanjajuću foliju i stavite u hladnjak na minimalno jedan sat, a najbolje preko noći.

Kada ste spremni za pečenje zagrijte pećnicu na 180°C. Obložite pleh za pečenje masnim papirom pa stavite na stranu. Razvaljajte tijesto na dobro pobrašnjenoj površini i režite na željene oblike. Ostatke tijesta stavite barem na 15-tak minuta ponovo u hladnjak prije nego što ćete ih opet razvaljati.

Raširite keksiće po pripremljenom plehu za pečenje i pecite 8-10 minuta, ovisno o debljini. Ostavite ih 5 minuta da se hlade na protvanu prije nego ih preselite na rešetku i ohladite do kraja. Ohlađene kekse možete do mjesec dana čuvati u metalnoj posudi na hladnom i tamnom mjestu.