Description
These Croatian gingerbread honey cookies, known as Medenjaci, are soft, chewy, and perfect for holiday festivities.
Ingredients
Units
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- 3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, soda, salt and spices.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, honey and egg and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.
- Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm). Use a shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cookies onto the baking sheet. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a wooden skewer.
- Bake for 10 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool.
- Make royal icing: beat egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar. Put the mixture into piping bag and pipe out decorations over cookies. You can tint icing with some edible colors. Add decorations on the icing while it’s still wet (it dries quickly).
- Let dry. Store in an airtight container. These cookies can be stored for weeks.
Notes
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks, maintaining their soft and chewy texture. You can substitute honey with molasses if preferred. Decorating these cookies can be a fun family activity, especially with children.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Croatian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 20