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Fun ways to use extra Gingerbread cookies
Have a bunch of gingerbread cookies left over? Here are some fun ways how you can make use of the excess
A cutesy little cookie made during Christmas, Gingerbread cookies are traditionally cut into shapes of little people, houses, hearts, and other festive figures. The cookies exude warmth and have a distinct aromatic flavour due to the combination of spices that include ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses. As we bid adieu to the holiday season and if you are left with a ton of these cookies on hand, here are some ways you can use your leftover biscuits.
A little history…
If you’ve never met a cookie you didn't like, try your hand at the classic gingerbread cookies. While these cookies started as fun gifts for guests attending Christmas parties in Russia, the cookie has been around for centuries with the first recipe being traced back to Greece in 2400 BC. Combine flour, ginger and cinnamon powder along with baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar and add molasses and an egg. Form a dough by mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and kneading it. Cut into shapes and bake in the oven. Decorate it with icing for a festive touch.
Gingerbread latte
Take your latte game up a notch by adding a gingerbread twist to your morning pick-me-up. A latte goes heavy on the milk and is made up of one or two shots of espresso, and has a thin layer of frothed milk on top. Add ginger and cinnamon, along with vanilla extract, and sugar to a pot with milk and heat it up. Brew a shot of espresso and pour in your mug of choice and top it with the milk. You can also froth the milk using a whisk.
Gingerbread cheesecake
If you end up baking a storm during the festive season, adding a gingerbread cheesecake to your repertoir is a must. Crush gingerbread cookies and mix in melted butter to form the crust and press it into the base of a pan. In a bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and nutmeg powder into a smooth consistency. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a water bath. Chill it in refrigerator and serve with whipped cream and decorate with gingerbread crumbs.
Gingerbread Macaroons
This French dessert is a perfect base for a plethora of flavours. It is made of almond flour and egg whites and can be filled with any types of cream. You can add a festive twist to the recipe by adding a bit of the gingerbread spice mix into the batter before it goes into the over to bake. Alternatively, for the filling, you can opt for a spiced chocolate ganache that is piped into the the centre.
Gingerbread overnight oats
A trend that has taken the internet by a storm is overnight oats. Add a festive touch to this quick and easy breakfast option by adding the gingerbread spice mix to the milk and stir it in. Add the oats along with honey or maple syrup. Set it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, top it with sliced fruits, pumpkin and chia seeds, a drizzle of honey and a dusting of the gingerbread spice mix. You can also sprinkle a few crushed cookies for some added texture.
Gingerbread cupcakes
It will begin to taste like the holidays if you bake a batch of gingerbread inspired cupcakes. Bake up a storm with vanilla cupcakes and add buttercream frosting to the top it off. While whipping up the buttercream, add a dash of gingerbread spice mix along with the butter and sugar. A few drops of vanilla extract will take this frosting to the next level. Using a star-tip and a piping bag, pipe the spiced buttercream on to the cupcakes and add a candy cane and a gingerbread man cookie to each cupcake for the final touch.
