Fermented Gingerbread Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

12-MONTH FERMENTATION CHALLENGE: Month #12 – HONEY FERMENTED GINGERBREAD COOKIES

I wanted to end this fermentation challenge with a decadent dessert ferment – honey fermented gingerbread covered in a generous swirling layer of dark chocolate. Instead, I almost ended it with my death.

This centuries-old, fermented, Danish treat calls for some peculiar ingredients such as ammonium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate, which gives these delicate spicy cookies their unique lightness in texture and flavor. But instead of ordering potassium BIcarbonate, I accidentally ordered potassium carbonate. I have since learned there is a big difference.

Potassium bicarbonate is used in baking as an effective substitute for baking soda. Potassium carbonate is a fertilizer and flame retardant that can be toxic if it comes in contact with the skin and eyes or is swallowed or inhaled. Thankfully, I noticed the error before serving these “to-die-for” treats to my family.

I’d like to say my mistakes ended with the potassium carbonate mix-up, but alas, my bad luck continued. I’m going to blame it on the fact that my kids were home from Christmas break for almost two months thanks to an increase in Covid-19 cases in our area. This is also the reason why this post is coming out before Valentine’s Day instead of Christmas when these cookies are traditionally enjoyed in Denmark.

So, back to my failures. After patiently fermenting the dough for over a month, I was so excited to finally roll it out and start cutting these cute, heart-shaped cookies. I normally roll out my gingerbread cookies in between two pieces of parchment paper. But this dough, which is made with 500 grams of honey, is incredibly sticky and I ended up with this.

I lost almost half my dough to the parchment paper. But, alas, my stupidity didn’t end here. I made the complete rookie mistake of placing the hearts too close together on the baking sheet and they all spread into one another.

cookies that have melded together during baking

I had to remake these cookies (which have to ferment for a month!) a second time just so I could take some appetizing photos for this post.

So, why did I want to make this time-intensive and tricky recipe in the first place? I was thinking of my Danish grandmother who passed away several years ago. She also made gingerbread cookies every “yula”. When I was old enough, I helped decorate and hang them on the tree along with strings of popcorn, candy canes, and vintage ornaments. Like many Danes, grandma also hung real lit candles on the tree. Fortunately, that risky tradition ended when she had kids of her own.

In Denmark, “Honninghjerter” (fermented gingerbread hearts) is a very special and traditional Christmas treat. The honey flour dough is prepared in early November so it can ferment for several weeks before it’s time to bake the gingerbread. This helps improve the quality of the dough and gives these special cookies their unique honey flavor.

Before I started this fermentation challenge, I never would have believed that I would leave dough sitting on my counter for several weeks and then make cookies with it. But I’m glad I did! These sweet and spicy, chocolate-covered cookies will become an annual tradition in our household.

What is fermented gingerbread?

Fermented gingerbread cookies were inspired by German monks who enjoyed baking spicy, nut-filled honey cakes called “Lebkuchen” as far back as the 13th century, according to Wikipedia.

They may have been among the first to discover that flour mixed with honey would naturally ferment when stored in a cool location for several weeks creating bubbles that would improve the quality of the bread.

Honninghjerter and Lebkuchen are both traditionally started in November and baked in December after fermenting for a month.

One of the reasons these fermented cakes and cookies became so popular is they would keep a long time without going stale. You can store this recipe in the fridge for at least a month.

What does fermented gingerbread taste like?

These sweet and spicy cookies taste a little different from a traditional gingerbread cookie. Not only is the dough fermented but instead of using molasses as a sweetener, honey – and a lot of it – gives them a unique and lighter flavor. I love the combination of lemon rind and cardamon in this recipe and the sweetness of the cookie mixed with the bitterness of the dark chocolate. I’m going to coat all my gingerbread cookies in chocolate from now on.

What are the strange chemical leaveners in this recipe?

I had never heard of ammonium carbonate (baker’s ammonia) or potassium bicarbonate before making this recipe and I almost poisoned our family when I accidentally ordered potassium carbonate instead of potassium bicarbonate.

Ammonium carbonate helps to soften the dough in this recipe, which can become quite hard as it ferments. Using this ingredient is key to achieving the light texture of these cookies.

Honey Fermented Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

Pre-dough (made a month or more in advance)

500 g honey

250 g spelt flour

Gingerbread dough

250 g spelt flour

2 egg yolk

10 g ammonium carbonate (baker’s ammonia) – Amazon link

10 g potassium bicarbonate – Amazon link

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp cinnamon, ground

1 tbsp ginger, ground

2 tsp cloves, ground

2 tsp cardamom, ground

1 tbsp lemon peel, grated

Chocolate coating

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tsp coconut oil

Directions

Pre-dough

In a bowl, mix together the honey and spelt flour.

Place in a sealable container and let it sit in a dark and cool location for at least a month.

Baking the gingerbread hearts

Heat the oven to 350°F (or 180°C).

Crack the egg yolks into a small bowl and mix in the baker’s ammonia.

In another small bowl, mix the potassium bicarbonate into 2 tbsps of cold water.

Stir together the egg mixture and the potassium bicarbonate along with the spices and lemon peel.

In a large mixing bowl (I used my mixer but you could also simply knead the dough by hand), add the pre-dough, the extra 250 grams of spelt flour along with the egg and spice mixture, and mix well.

cutting out heart shaped gingerbread cookies

Now you are ready to roll out the dough to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. This is where I made my first mistake. Instead of using a floured surface, I came up with the stupid idea to roll the dough out using parchment paper. This resulted in a giant sticky mess and I lost some of the precious dough I had been patiently fermenting for over a month.

Instead, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface. Don’t forget to sprinkle flour onto the surface of the rolled-out dough and your rolling pin as this mixture is very sticky due to the honey.

heart shaped fermented gingerbread cookies

Use a cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes and place them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Be sure to leave enough space between the hearts as they will expand. I did not leave enough space and all the cookies spread into one another Amateur mistake! I had to remake these cookies (which have to ferment for a month!) a second time just so I could take some appetizing photos for this blog. After reading this post, I’m sure you’ll feel better about your own baking skills.

Re-roll the dough and cut out more hearts repeating the process until you don’t have any dough left.

Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes. They are done when you can lightly press your finger on the cookie without leaving an imprint.

Cool the hearts on a baking sheet.

Once cooled, the cookies will be too hard to eat. Place them in a container covered with a clean, wet cloth and store them in the fridge for a day or two. They will now be soft and ready to be dipped in chocolate. You can store the cookies in a sealed container in the fridge for several weeks and then take a few out when you are ready to cover them in chocolate.

Chocolate coating

To make the chocolate, melt a cup of chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a double boiler, until the chocolate is completely smooth.

Place the cookies on a wire rack and cover them with a thick layer of chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, the weeks and weeks of waiting will finally be over and you can take a delicious bite of these spiced, honey fermented gingerbread cookies.

Note: This recipe is adapted from Foodgeek’s “Fermented Danish Gingerbread Hearts” recipe.

CONCLUSION

Serving Size:

Time:

Difficulty:

Ingredients

Directions

These delicious honey fermented gingerbread cookies get a big thumbs up from everyone in our family for their decadent deliciousness but, because of the amount of time it takes to make them, they lose a few points. This ferment is a month-long! And, if you happen to mess up the recipe the first time you make it as I did, you have to wait another month before you can try again. Overall, this was a fun experiment that I’m going to try to make again in time for Christmas next year.

Honey Fermented Gingerbread Cookies Covered in Dark Chocolate

You won't be able to resist these decadent honey fermented gingerbread cookies covered in a generous swirling layer of dark chocolate. They are a traditional Danish Christmas treat but can be enjoyed any time of year.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Fermentation Time 30

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Danish

Servings 40 cookies

Equipment

heart shaped cookie cutter
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

Pre-Dough (Made a month or more in advance)

500 g honey
250 g spelt flour

Gingerbread Dough

250 g spelt flour
2 egg yolk
10 g ammonium carbonate baker’s ammonia
10 g potassium bicarbonate
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp cinnamon ground
1 tbsp ginger ground
2 tsp cloves ground
2 tsp cardamom ground
1 tbsp lemon peel grated

Chocolate Coating

1 cup dark chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

Pre-Dough

In a bowl, mix together the honey and spelt flour.
Place in a sealable container and let it sit in a dark and cool location for at least a month.

Gingerbread

Heat the oven to 350°F (or 180°C).
Crack the egg yolks into a small bowl and mix in the baker’s ammonia.
In another small bowl, mix the potassium bicarbonate into 2 tbsps of cold water.
Stir together the egg mixture and the potassium bicarbonate along with the spices and lemon peel.
In a large mixing bowl (I used my mixer but you could also simply knead the dough by hand), add the pre-dough, the extra 250 grams of spelt flour along with the egg and spice mixture, and mix well.
Now you are ready to roll out the dough to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. This is where I made my first mistake. Instead of using a floured surface, I came up with the stupid idea to roll the dough out using parchment paper. This resulted in a giant sticky mess and I lost some of the precious dough I had been patiently fermenting for over a month.
Instead, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface. Don’t forget to sprinkle flour onto the surface of the rolled-out dough and your rolling pin as this mixture is very sticky due to the honey.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes and place them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Be sure to leave enough space between the hearts as they will expand. I did not leave enough space and all the cookies spread into one another. Amateur mistake! I had to remake these cookies (which have to ferment for a month!) a second time just so I could take some appetizing photos for this blog. After reading this post, I’m sure you’ll feel better about your own baking skills.
Re-roll the dough and cut out more hearts repeating the process until you don’t have any dough left.
Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes. They are done when you can lightly press your finger on the cookie without leaving an imprint.
Cool the hearts on a baking sheet.
Once cooled, the cookies will be too hard to eat. Place them in a container covered with a clean, wet cloth and store them in the fridge for a day or two. They will now be soft and ready to be dipped in chocolate. You can store the cookies in a sealed container in the fridge for several weeks and then take a few out when you are ready to cover them in chocolate.

Chocolate Coating

To make the chocolate, melt a cup of chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a double boiler, until the chocolate is completely smooth.
Place the cookies on a wire rack and cover them with a thick layer of chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, the weeks and weeks of waiting will finally be over and you can take a delicious bite of these spiced, honey fermented gingerbread cookies.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from the Foodgeek’s “Fermented Danish Gingerbread Hearts” recipe – https://foodgeek.dk/en/gingerbread-hearts-recipe/.

Keyword fermented gingerbread, honey ferment, fermentation, gingerbread, gingerbread cookies

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Enjoyed these honey fermented gingerbread cookies? Check out my other recipes in the 12-month Fermentation Challenge series:

Month #11 – HONEY FERMENTED CRANBERRIES – 3 WAYS!
Month #10 – FERMENTED TOMATOES – THE FASTEST WAY TO CAN TOMATOES
Month #9 – HONEY & PUMPKIN PIE SPICED FERMENTED APPLESAUCE
Month #8 – EASY FERMENTED BELL PEPPERS & TOMATO LEAF “SALSA”
Month #7 – SPICY FERMENTED GREEN BEANS WITH CURRY & GINGER
Month #6 – SPICED LACTO-FERMENTED RHUBARB WITH ORANGES & CINNAMON
Month #5 – EASIEST FERMENTED SAUERKRAUT RECIPE
Month #4 – LACTO-FERMENTED RADISHES WITH DILL
Month #3 – FERMENTED GINGER CARROTS
Month #2 – FERMENTED ZUCCHINI WITH DILL AND GARLIC
Month #1 – LEMON GINGER WATER KEFIR

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My Sweet Revenge – Chocolate mint strawberry pie

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Wondering what to do with chocolate mint? Here’s how to put your herb to good use.

It was the chocolate’s fault. It was the reason I rushed home excitedly from our local garden store to show the kids the cool, new herb we’d be planting in our garden – chocolate mint.

If you are a chocolate lover (and who isn’t?), you understand my need to purchase and eat anything chocolate. It smelled heavenly. It looked harmless. I planted it.

Now I knew mint was invasive. And I’ve heard a billion of times that you should always plant it in a container. But I didn’t. It smelled like chocolate mint patties. What could go wrong?

So I planted that innocent looking herb right into the ground thinking how I would just keep an eye on it. I really thought that if it grew too big, I’d harvest large bundles and dry them to make chocolate mint tea or hot cocoa.

That was before I knew chocolate mint was evil. It secretly planned and dug a series of elaborate tunnels under the ground only to reappear on the opposite side of the garden and then suddenly popping up and creeping its way around the whole garden. I’ve spent days picking it out. I hate chocolate mint.

But I love pie….So now it’s time for my sweet revenge. FYI – I’ve learned my lesson and the evil plant now sits contained in a pot.

This recipe is for all my fellow beekeepers who are always looking for more ways to use honey, those of you who like to use natural sweeteners instead of sugar and anyone out there who is wondering what to do with chocolate mint.

Chocolate Mint Strawberry Pie

Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups pecans
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 egg

Filling:
4 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
2 tsp lemon juice
6 tbsp honey
2.5 tbsp gelatin
1 tbsp chopped chocolate mint

The Crust

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350. Ground the pecans and salt in a food processor.

Step 2
Add coconut oil and egg and pulse until the mixture has a dough-like texture.

Step 3
Press dough into a 9.5″ pie plate.

Step 4
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.

The Filling

Step 1
Combine lemon juice and three quarters of the strawberries in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook about 5 minutes until berries thicken.

Step 2
While berries are cooking, add gelatin to ½ cup cold water and mix well.

Step 3
Remove strawberries from heat and immediately stir in honey and gelatin. Pour mixture into baked crust and top with the remaining sliced berries.

The bakers…er…well, mostly pie eaters.

Step 4
Place pie in the fridge to chill and set for a couple hours. Top with whip cream and chopped chocolate mint.

Enjoy several large servings!

PS. Looking for more chocolate mint suggestions? Here’s another idea for what to do with chocolate mint – chocolate mint strawberry jam.

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Crispy, Sweet & Spicy Dried Apple Rings

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Sweet dried apple rings are a healthy snack enjoyed by young and old.

52 Homesteading Skills in One Year – Project #6: Learn to dry fruit and make your own dried apple rings

Have you ever excitedly gone to the store and bought yourself a shiny new kitchen gadget and then NEVER used it.

That’s the story of my dehydrator. I purchased it five years ago with the idea that I was going to save money by drying my own fruit. It never happened.

Sometimes trying new things just feels like too much effort. But this is one project I really shouldn’t have shelved into the back of my kitchen cupboards. This week, we made the most delicious fall-spiced, dried apple rings.

Why make your own dried apple rings?

One of the reasons I always wanted to dry my own fruit is because of the added sulphites and sugar often found in pricey store-bought versions. You don’t have to worry about that when you make your own – and you’ll save money.

This is the time to buy your apples in bulk and in season when they are cheapest. Once dehydrated, you can enjoy them at any time of the year for much less than what you’d pay in the off season. You could save even more in the future by planting your own apple tree this fall.

Use an apple peeler to make dried sweet apple rings.

Step 1
Use an apple peeler to core, cut and remove the peel from your apples. I purchased mine years ago for $15. If you don’t have one, it is totally worth the money. You can even order one on Amazon.

Lemon juice prevents the apples from browning.

Step 2
Dip each apple slice into lemon water to prevent the apples from browning. Simply mix 1/8 cup of lemon juice into two cups of water.

Step 3
Arrange the apple slices evenly on the drying trays. The apple slices will shrink so they can be touching slightly. Sprinkle the apple slices with your favourite seasoning. Turn them over and sprinkle again. I used a mix of 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice and a pinch of cloves.

Step 4
Plug in your machine and enjoy the delicious baked apple aroma.

Approximately 24 hours later you will have a sweet and crispy treat that will last in your cupboard forever. But that won’t happen.

I had to risk my life to protect these dried apple rings so I could get a picture of them for you before my family devoured them all. You’ll find the apple chips are even more flavourful than the apple itself and make a great fall snack.

To be honest, I was trying to make soft and chewy dried apple rings, but I left them in the dehydrator too long. If you think you’d prefer a more raisin-like consistency, your apple chips may be ready in about 12 hours. The exact amount of time will vary depending on the type of apple you use and the thickness of your slices.

Store your dried apple rings in an airtight container away from light. You may want to choose a secret hiding spot so little and maybe even big hands can’t easily find them. Enjoy!

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Gluten free pecan date pie crust recipe

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52 Homesteading Skills in One Year – Project #2: Learning to make gluten free pie crust

If you have ever tried to make a gluten free pie crust recipe and failed, this post is for you. Seriously. You would have to try pretty hard to mess this one up. And best of all, once you have soaked and dried your nuts, it can be made in minutes. So when the craving hits, you can turn out gluten free pie in record time.

…

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tofu Pie – Grain & dairy free

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So what was our first homesteading project? Did we get chickens? Learn how to milk a cow? Nope. We picked raspberries. But wait! There’s more. I finally learned how to properly plant a raspberry cane. And there’s tofu pie. Really good dark chocolate raspberry tofu pie with a pecan date crust.

But back to the raspberries. Last spring, when we first moved over to the farm, I planted a stick. Okay, it’s technically called a bare root raspberry “cane”, but I’m telling you it looked like yours truly paid $8.99 for a stick. The tag, however, informed me it was indeed going to produce pints of lush, red melt-in-your-mouth berries.

So I simply dug a hole and the kids and I stuck that thing in the ground. I walked away as smug as could be thinking, ‘that was easy’. Later, I consulted my friend Google. This is farming lesson number one, folks. Always do your research before you plant.

It is advised to soak your stick for a couple hours before planting and to spread a couple inches of compost to the TOP of the soil after planting. The base of the raspberry should also be mulched to keep the weeds down. Raspberries have shallow roots so weeding must be done carefully. Better to put down mulch.

Now the directions on the tag said that you should plant red raspberries 3 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart. I scoffed a little at this thinking my stick doesn’t need that much room. WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Red raspberries do indeed spread – A LOT. Red raspberries spread away from the original planting site by sending up new canes called ‘suckers’ away from the original root crown. So don’t…ahem…put a red raspberry bush say, for a random example, as a border in the middle of your planned vegetable garden area. But who would be stupid enough to do that anyway?

So this was my original stick….

And this is my raspberry bush one year later.

In one year! I was amazed. Maybe you are too, but any real farmers out there are now rolling their eyes and laughing because I didn’t realize raspberries need to be pruned. Summer raspberries are pruned after fruiting by cutting out the old canes and leaving the new to grow on. Fall fruiting varieties are cut to the ground in early winter or as soon as they are done fruiting.

Pruning only takes a few minutes and increases your yield, but I didn’t do it. Hence the “wild” look of my bush. You may also notice they are planted in front of a fence. How the heck did I think I was going to harvest the berries on the other side?

Thankfully raspberries are very forgiving and despite all these errors I was able to harvest a few pints of fresh raspberries. In fact, I’m told these are the easiest fruit to grow. So if you have any unused plot of ground maybe covered in grass that you hate mowing, a raspberry cane is your answer. They don’t need the best soil (they will grow in most kinds), you don’t even need full sun (raspberries do just fine in partial shade) and one year later you’ll be harvesting delicious little red gems that you can then use in this pie recipe.

Unfortunately, I didn’t. A little raspberry goblin gobbled all the raspberries off my bush before they could even make it into the house.

Oh, you thought I meant one of the kids? No, it was me. Sadly, I had to buy raspberries. (Insert hanging head here.) But next year, after pruning my bush, I promise I’ll be making jam and this chocolate raspberry tofu pie with homegrown berries and hopefully you will too.

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Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tofu Pie

Crust:

See Grain Free Pecan Crust recipe

Filling:

2 12.3-ounce shelf-stable package firm silken tofu (you can also use the refrigerated tofu too, but it is easier with the silken)
2 1/2 cups 70% dark chocolate chips (dairy free for those with allergies)
1 tsp coconut oil

Sauce:

3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Step one:
Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil over low heat, stirring constantly.

Step two:
Get out the blender and puree the tofu with the melted chocolate until it has reached a smooth consistency. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I use a Vitamix blender to handle this task and yet I still have to stop the blender every so often and give it a stir. Blend, stir and repeat several times until you get a fabulous creamy texture. Note: If you use the refrigerated tofu, you’ll need to add about a 1/4 cup of water.

Step three:
Chop the remaining chocolate chips and stir them in for a little crunch in your pie. As my daughter says, “it’s funner in the mouth”. And who doesn’t want to have a little party in their mouth?

Step four:
Once the pie crust has cooled, spread the chocolate tofu mixture on top of the crust. Then place the pie in the freezer for about an hour to set. Sometimes I’m too hungry and I eat the pie right away. In this case, use frozen raspberries. The warm pie and frozen sauce are the perfect combination. Simply puree the berries and scoop a dollop on top of your pie.

Step five:
If you have managed to keep the pie in the freezer for an hour, puree the raspberries to create a sauce and then warm over low heat. Pour a heaping spoonful over individual pie servings.

Enjoy!

So what did you think of the chocolate raspberry tofu pie? Are you going to order a raspberry cane? I’d love to hear how you made out. Simply leave a comment below.