Name: Honey Fermented Gingerbread Cookies Covered in Dark Chocolate
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 500 g honey; 250 g spelt flour; 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); 1 cup dark chocolate chips; 2 tsp coconut oil

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

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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.