Granny’s Old-Fashioned Filled Gingerbread Cookies: A Timeless Recipe for Sweet Memories

Step back in time with these simple, old-fashioned gingerbread cookies, just like Granny lovingly made for generations. These tender, spicy delights are a cherished family favorite, perfect for any occasion but especially magical during the holidays. Traditionally filled with sweet jam or creamy icing, they also offer a delightful modern twist when generously spread with a rich chocolate filling. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and the ability to prepare the dough in advance, allowing you to bake these comforting treats at your leisure.

These cookies are more than just a treat; they are a warm, edible hug, a tangible connection to cherished family history. For as long as I can remember, my mother-in-law, our beloved ‘Granny,’ would embark on an annual December baking marathon, producing mountains of her signature filled gingerbread cookies. This tradition wasn’t just a casual affair; it was an event. Each of her seven children received a hefty pail of these delicious gingerbread cookies for Christmas, and those of us with larger families, like ours, were blessed with two pails. These precious packages would arrive alongside her rustic Christmas fruit bread and a quart or two of her famous canned Christmas pudding. Receiving that annual delivery from Granny felt like an early Christmas gift, a joyful sign that the festive season had truly begun.

Throughout the holidays, those cookies were eagerly devoured by everyone. Our children savored them in their school lunches, often well into the new year. Now grown, they often recount tales of those legendary cookies, sharing how their friends would fondly remember and even beg for a taste, often trading their own snacks for a bite of Granny’s coveted gingerbread. These cookies weren’t just food; they were a hot commodity, a symbol of warmth and generosity that extended beyond our immediate family.

While Granny always cut her gingerbread cookies into large, substantial circles, declaring them a proper “SNACK,” I’ve adapted her method slightly. For a more festive and perhaps delicate presentation, I often opt for smaller Christmas cookie shapes, perfect for sharing or decorating.

Granny, now nearing 97, no longer bakes as she once did, but her culinary legacy lives on through her shared recipes. I’ve been honored to continue her tradition, making these gingerbread cookies myself for the past few years. The original recipe, jotted down on a now-stained and crumpled scrap of paper, called for an astounding nine to ten cups of flour, making four times the amount of the recipe you’ll find below! I can only imagine the sheer volume she produced, often mixing the dough in a large plastic washbowl, a testament to her dedication and the demands of her large family. This recipe, predating even Granny herself, has truly stood the test of time, a delicious echo from generations past.

Granny graciously included a version of her famous cookies (half her original monstrous amounts) in her personal cookbook, and I’ve further scaled it down to a more manageable size for today’s home baker. Despite the reduced quantity, the unmistakable taste remains precisely the same. Each bite of these spicy, sweet gingerbread cookies transports me back to Christmases long past, evoking vivid memories and a sense of comforting nostalgia. This truly is an old-fashioned recipe, complete with the charmingly traditional step of dissolving the baking soda into a liquid before stirring it into the syrup. It’s a delightful little chemistry experiment right in your kitchen, fun to watch it foam and bubble up!

Granny’s Gingerbread Cookies were historically filled with either her homemade raspberry jam or a classic white icing. This choice often sparked a gentle family debate, dividing us into two distinct camps. Our immediate family consistently favored the vibrant, fruity jam-filled versions, a preference I’ve happily maintained in my own baking. However, in a surprising turn of events, I’ve also begun filling these cookies with my decadent Chocolate and Medjool Date Spread. I confess, as a proud member of the jam-lover camp, it pains me to admit it, but these chocolate-filled cookies have quickly become our new favorite. The evidence is clear: my husband, Raymond, can’t resist sneaking them off the plate!

Mastering Granny’s Gingerbread: Essential Baking Tips

Achieving the perfect texture and flavor in Granny’s gingerbread cookies requires a little patience and attention to detail. Here are some invaluable tricks I’ve learned along the way:

The Magic of Resting Dough

The dough for these exceptional gingerbread cookies absolutely benefits from a good rest. It needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but I’ve discovered that leaving it for up to five days yields even more superior results. During this extended chilling period, a magical transformation occurs: the flour has ample time to fully hydrate, resulting in a smoother cookie top and a more refined texture. Crucially, the flavors of the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves deepen and meld beautifully, creating a mellow, harmonious spice profile that is simply irresistible. Don’t rush this step; it’s key to their signature taste and appearance.

Handling the Soft Dough

When you first mix this gingerbread dough, you’ll notice it’s surprisingly soft, much more akin to a thick cake batter than a traditional stiff cookie dough. Your instinct might be to add more flour to firm it up – resist this urge! I made that mistake the first time I baked them, and the resulting cookies were far too hard. The dough thickens considerably as it chills in the refrigerator, achieving a workable consistency. Even after chilling, it remains a relatively soft dough to roll out. However, by generously flouring your work surface and rolling pin, you’ll find it handles beautifully, allowing you to achieve those perfectly thin cookies.

Roll Them Thin for Perfection

Granny’s wisdom on these cookies was clear: “Roll them quite thin.” And she was absolutely right. Despite their initial thinness, these gingerbread cookies puff up beautifully in the oven, gaining just the right amount of thickness and a wonderfully tender chew. Aim for about ⅛ of an inch thickness before baking to achieve that ideal texture.

Vigilant Baking: Watch Them Closely!

Because Granny’s Gingerbread Cookies are rolled out to a delicate thinness and baked in a hot oven, they require your undivided attention during their brief baking time. They can go from perfectly baked to slightly burnt in a flash! Keep a close eye on them; they typically only need 7 to 9 minutes in the oven, with the exact time depending on the size and thickness of your cut cookies. Trust your nose and your eyes for that perfect golden brown.

A Special Note for Chocolate-Filled Cookies

If you opt for the delicious Chocolate and Medjool Date Spread as your filling, there’s a crucial tip to ensure optimal texture: the chocolate-filled cookies need to sit uncovered for 3 to 4 days after assembly. This allows the chocolate spread to dry out slightly, preventing the cookies from becoming excessively soft. You can simply leave them on a plate on your counter until they reach your desired consistency. Don’t worry, they are perfectly edible and mighty tasty during this drying period! In contrast, cookies filled with jam or traditional icing can be stored in an airtight container immediately after filling.

Ultimately, baking up a batch of these old-fashioned gingerbread cookies is more than just following a recipe; it’s about baking a batch of love. That’s precisely what these cookies mean to me, and I hope they bring the same warmth and joy to your home.

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Kitchen Frau Notes: These wonderfully tender gingerbread cookies are incredibly versatile! They turn out exceptionally well with my preferred gluten-free flour blend, to which I now add three tablespoons of potato flour (note: potato flour, not potato starch) for an even better texture. If you’re not following a gluten-free diet, feel free to use regular all-purpose flour.

Should you choose not to fill these cookies, they will bake up with a delightful crispness, offering a different but equally enjoyable experience. The jam or chocolate spread, when used, helps to keep them softer and chewier. The crisp, unfilled gingerbread cookies are excellent for cutting into classic gingerbread men or other festive shapes, perfect for decorating with icing or sprinkles, making them a fantastic canvas for holiday creativity.

For those looking to add a charming touch to their Christmas tree, these cookies can also be used as edible ornaments! Before baking, simply use a drinking straw to cut a small hole near the top of each cookie. Once baked and cooled, you can thread a piece of string or ribbon through the hole, ready for hanging on your tree. They make a beautiful and delicious decoration!

Granny’s Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (115gms) salted butter
• 1 cup (220gms) brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• ¼ cup (85gms) golden syrup or honey
• ¼ cup (70gms) fancy molasses
• ¼ cup (60ml) of strong coffee (or ¼ cup water + 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, decaf if desired)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2½ cups (350gms) gluten-free flour blend (or regular all-purpose flour for non-gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, golden syrup (or honey), and molasses. Ensure your saucepan is large enough, as the mixture will foam up considerably later, filling only about a quarter of the pot. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has fully melted and the sugar has dissolved.
2. While the sugar mixture is heating, prepare your coffee mixture. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda and pure vanilla extract into the strong coffee (or water with instant coffee granules). Set this aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, cream of tartar, and fine sea salt. Make sure they are well combined.
4. Remove the melted sugar mixture from the stove. Carefully stir in the coffee mixture you prepared earlier. The mixture will foam up quite a bit. If it looks like it might overflow, quickly hold the saucepan over the bowl of dry ingredients to catch any potential spillover.
5. Pour the entire foaming liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, scraping out any remaining syrup from the saucepan with a spatula. Stir the dough until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes; this prevents the hot mixture from cooking the egg prematurely when added.
6. Add the large egg to the cooled dough. Stir vigorously until the egg is fully incorporated and the mixture forms a soft, sticky dough. At this stage, it will resemble a thick cake batter rather than a firm cookie dough, but don’t worry – it will stiffen up significantly as it cools. Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl or airtight container. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic food wrap or a lid, and refrigerate it overnight, or for up to 5 days. For the best flavor and texture, I recommend chilling it for at least a couple of days.
7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare several baking sheets by greasing them lightly, or by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
8. Generously flour your work surface. Scoop out a chunk of chilled gingerbread dough, roughly the size of your fist. Place it on the floured surface and roll it out thinly, aiming for about ⅛ inch thickness. Remember, these cookies will puff up during baking. Keep the dough well-floured underneath as you roll, as it remains a soft dough and can stick. Use your favorite cookie cutters (circles or hearts are particularly easy for filling) to cut out desired shapes. Carefully arrange the cut cookies on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Gather the dough scraps, gently reroll them, and cut out more shapes until all the dough is used.
9. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes. It is crucial to watch them very closely, as they can burn easily due to their thinness and the hot oven. They should be just lightly golden at the edges.
10. Once the cookies have cooled completely, it’s time to fill them! Take two matching cookie shapes and sandwich them together with your chosen filling: raspberry jam, white icing, or the delicious Chocolate & Medjool Date Spread. If you’re using the Chocolate Spread, remember to leave the filled cookies uncovered for a couple of days to allow the spread to dry out slightly. This prevents the cookies from becoming too soft. Once they’ve reached your desired consistency, you can transfer them to a covered container. If you’re using jam or icing, you can place them into a sealed container immediately after assembly.
11. For a beautiful finishing touch, you can lightly dust the filled cookies with icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) using a small sieve.

This recipe yields approximately 60 single cookies (about 3-inches in diameter), which translates to around 30 delightful filled gingerbread cookies, depending on the size and shape of your cookie cutters.

Guten Appetit!

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