Lazy Christmas, Plum Jam Gingerbreads and Linzer Cookies
Since I started my blog, I had been looking forward to Christmas preparations!! You know, think about some cool, tasty and healthy recipes, try them over and over again until I get the recipes!
But…
Well, back pain is an annoying thing that can make it quite impossible to come home after work, head into the kitchen and bake. Though, as you might know about me, that’s exactly what I love to do! Normally…
Long story short, instead of being stressed that because of the pain and other reasons I do not have time, but I must bake, I must take pictures, I must sit down and write… I decided to take it all easy this year. Isn’t that, after all, what we all should do? Because I want to be looking forward
to Christmas, especially this year!
For the first time, I am going to spend the Christmas Eve abroad – here, in Norway! I will fly home, to Czechia, too because I, of course, need to be with my family! But still… Christmas in Norway… I am so excited!
For the first time, I am going to spend the Christmas Eve abroad – here, in Norway! I will fly home, to Czechia, too because I, of course, need to be with my family! But still… Christmas in Norway… I am so excited!
Last weekend, we went to the forest of my Bjørn Harald’s family to get a Christmas tree, with his family, we baked
Uf, ok, don’t get stressed, get back to the point – easy peasy baking – the plan for this year is clear: use what is in the pantry and fridge already,
don’t go crazy with the number of ingredients, make it tasty, nice, and keep it without eggs and preferably also without excess sugar.
I wanted to be a little bit original, but you know what? I just love gingerbread and Linzer cookies… so… I decided to bake them this year again. Simple, classic, but
The first recipe that you can find bellow is for Gingerbreads with plum jam in the dough. I am very happy about that one – the jam gives the sweet gingerbreads nice sour flavour which goes nicely together with cinnamon, ginger and other spices, hmm! Just remember to make the cookies thin and crispy! Those gingerbreads are not meant to be soft and fluffy 👌🤩
The first recipe that you can find bellow is for Gingerbreads with plum jam in the dough. I am very happy about that one – the jam gives the sweet gingerbreads nice sour flavour which goes nicely together with cinnamon, ginger and other spices, hmm! Just remember to make the cookies thin and crispy! Those gingerbreads are not meant to be soft and fluffy 👌🤩
When it comes to the Linzer cookies, I chose to make an old recipe that we, in my family, have always been baking, but this time I replaced icing sugar by Sukrin Melis and eggs by
For the filling, I used my own cranberry jam, but I didn’t have enough for all and therefore I used also a regular raspberry jam with less sugar.
FOR THE GINGERBREADS:
400g all purpose flour
150g Sukrin Melis (or icing sugar)
70g melted coconut oil (or butter)
100g plum jam (or little more, depends on the consistency of the jam you use – if it’s drier, you’ll probably need more)
8 tbsp aquafaba /bean water/ (instead of 2,5 eggs)
1,5 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp anis
1/4 tsp cloves
INSTRUCTIONS:
MAKE THE COOKIES
In a large bowl, combine the spices, flour, baking powder and salt.
Melt the coconut oil or butter in a microwave or in a small pot, add the plum jam, Sukrin, aquafaba and lemon zest.
Pour the liquid mixture onto the dry ingredients and by hands or in a kitchen mixer, blend together until obtaining a nice, soft dough. It the dough is too dry, add more jam or aquafaba.
Let the dough rest for an hour in a fridge.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
After one hour, place the dough on the kitchen counter sprinkled with all-purpose flour. Quickly kneed the dough and then roll out with a rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to cut gingerbreads of different shapes. Then place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 8-12 minutes (you have to adjust the baking time according to the thickness of the cookies – so I suggest checking them after 7 or 8 minutes).
Let cool completely.
And how to decorate the cookies? Try my aquafaba royal glaze!
9 tbsp Aquafaba
400g sifted icing sugar (I used Sukrin Melis instead od regular sugar)
FOR THE LINZER COOKIES
210g all-purpose flour
140g cold butter
70g Sukrin Melis
6 tbsp aquafaba
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla
Jam for filling
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and Sukrin Melis.
Add vanilla and butter and knead quickly – preferably in Kenwood, since you don’t want the butter to get too warm which can easily happen when kneading by hands! When butter is evenly spread and in very small pieces (the dough looks like sand now), add lemon juice and aquafaba and knead again to obtain a nice, soft dough. If the dough is too dry, add aquafaba.
Let the dough rest for 3 hours in a fridge.
After three hours, place the dough on the kitchen counter sprinkled with all-purpose flour. Quickly kneed the dough and then roll out with a rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to cut the cookies – remember that you need two parts for each cookie, one full and one with a hole in the middle! Then place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 8-10 minutes (you have to adjust the baking time according to the thickness of the cookies – so I suggest checking them after 5 or 6 minutes).
Let cool completely.
Finish the cookies by sticking them together with a jam and sprinkle them wit Sukrin Melis or regular icing sugar.