Got the basic recipe from a relative who was a chef at many top establishments in several countries. The recipe goes back to the word capitol of gingerbread, Nuremberg, and the first decade of the 19th century. I made some changes according to my taste over the years. I do not call these gingerbread cookies because they are not cookies. It's more like a thin super-nutty nut cake on an edible wafer. This year I used 90 mm or 3.5" wafers. I give you both units as I was scolded for using Imperial measurements for a European vehicle. Yikes. Anyway, I usually use 70 mm wafers but then people eat more than one gingerbread at a time which means more work for me. I figured sixty 90 mm units should do. I can bake 20 until at a time, so I had to do three runs. Mercifully, the baking time is only twenty minutes, so one hour all in all. All gingerbread is now in stainless steel containers where it will remain edible for up to three months. The taste is said to intensify over the weeks but nobody has ever been able to confirm that on account of running out of product. I expect by New Years Day all will be gone.
What's in it? 50% ground almonds and hazelnuts, roasted and browned after grinding
beaten stiff egg whites
little sugar (could be partially substituted with Allulose without ill effect on the texture)
little maple syrup (I use that instead of molasses because I prefer the flavor)
dried and finely diced dried oranges and lemons (replaces the overly sweet candied peel the original recipe calls for)
Amaretto (replaces rum and bitter almond from original recipe - synthetic bitter almond sucks and real bitter almond is toxic)
gingerbread spice mix (top secret - only Cuddles knows)
Vanilla bean paste
lemon juice
pinch of salt
Getting the consistency of the soft dough is tricky. Requires a certain procedure and temperatures when mixing and firming up the dough in the fridge overnight. The dough is spread onto the wafers, thicker in the center, tapering down toward the edge. Decorate with blanched almonds, slivered almonds, add or do not add sugar, lemon, rum, arrack, or cocoa glaze. I go with "naked" gingerbread.
Freshly baked. The whole house smells of gingerbread.
Top
Bottom: the wafer is edible. It's basically an unconsecrated communion wafer for a giant.
Cut in half. As you can see, it's mostly ground nuts and you see some bits of dried ornage in there if you look close.
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What's in it? 50% ground almonds and hazelnuts, roasted and browned after grinding
beaten stiff egg whites
little sugar (could be partially substituted with Allulose without ill effect on the texture)
little maple syrup (I use that instead of molasses because I prefer the flavor)
dried and finely diced dried oranges and lemons (replaces the overly sweet candied peel the original recipe calls for)
Amaretto (replaces rum and bitter almond from original recipe - synthetic bitter almond sucks and real bitter almond is toxic)
gingerbread spice mix (top secret - only Cuddles knows)
Vanilla bean paste
lemon juice
pinch of salt
Getting the consistency of the soft dough is tricky. Requires a certain procedure and temperatures when mixing and firming up the dough in the fridge overnight. The dough is spread onto the wafers, thicker in the center, tapering down toward the edge. Decorate with blanched almonds, slivered almonds, add or do not add sugar, lemon, rum, arrack, or cocoa glaze. I go with "naked" gingerbread.
Freshly baked. The whole house smells of gingerbread.
Top
Bottom: the wafer is edible. It's basically an unconsecrated communion wafer for a giant.
Cut in half. As you can see, it's mostly ground nuts and you see some bits of dried ornage in there if you look close.
'
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