Katarzynki Polish Gingerbread Cookies Recipes

KATARZYNKI - POLISH GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350F.
• Heat honey in a saucepan until it begins to boil. Turn off heat.
• Beat together the egg and sugar until thick.
• Pour in honey while mixing until smooth.
• Fold dry ingredients into the egg, honey, and sugar mixture; don't over-mix. (Start to fold with a spoon and then fold by hand until just combined.)
• Turn out gently on a floured surface. Roll out to 1cm thickness.
• Cut into desired shapes.
• Bake 12 - 15 minutes until darker color develops.
• Set aside and allow to cool before dipping into chocolate.
• While cooling, set up a double-boiler system on the stove. (I just use a pot of boiling water and set another small rounded-bottom pot like a mini-wok type thing on top of it). Melt butter and chocolate in the pot. Stir to combine.
• Use tongs to dip cookies in.
• Set cookies on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar if you'd like and a nice tall glass of milk. Yum.

PIERNIK (POLISH GINGERBREAD)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Put the honey, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over a medium heat until fully melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put the flour and spices in a large bowl and mix everything together.
• Once the liquid ingredients have cooled, whisk in the eggs. Pour over the dry ingredients, whisking them together to form a smooth batter - be careful not to overmix as this can lead to a dry cake. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, use a large serrated knife to slice the cake into 3 layers. Spread the jam across the 2 bottom cake layers, then reassemble the cake and set aside while you make the glaze. Put the cream, chocolate and honey in a medium pan and cook over a low-medium heat until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth, pourable mixture. Put the cake on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined baking tray and pour over the glaze, making sure to cover the entire cake. Use a fish slice to carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate and allow the glaze to set. To decorate, dust with a little edible gold powder, if you like. Uniced, this cake will keep for up to 5 days. Once iced, enjoy within 3 days - just keep in the fridge, but remove before serving and eat at room temperature.