When the guests are already on the doorstep and there is no time at all, there is simply no better delicacy than the Nuremberg gingerbread. Original and unusual, it will surprise and delight all acquaintances and friends with its taste.
Nuremberg Gingerbread is a unique treat that is prepared without flour. The history of the gingerbread originated in the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria. There is a legend that the gingerbread was invented by a baker who got sick at night. To please her, he baked a light dessert called Eliza's Gingerbread. The dessert has gained its popularity all over Nuremberg, and now all over the world.
According to another version, Nuremberg gingerbread has been known since the 15th century. Then they were made from honey dough, on which they drew various instructive drawings. Such gingerbread was prepared most often for Easter, weddings and christenings. Residents of the city perceived these gingerbread cookies not only as a sweet delicacy, but also as a healing remedy, since they contained nuts and almonds, which were symbols of death and resurrection (shell and kernel). Today, Nuremberg gingerbread is considered the best souvenir brought from the heart of Franconia.
Nuremberg Gingerbread Recipe
For a classic gingerbread recipe, you need to take the following ingredients:
- 2 chicken eggs;
- granulated sugar - 200 g;
- vanillin;
- flour nut - a quarter teaspoon;
- ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon;
- ground cloves - 0.5 teaspoon;
- hazelnuts - a small handful;
- almonds - 7-8 pieces;
- lemon and orange candied fruits - 250 g;
- rum essence - 0.5 teaspoon;
- chocolate glaze.
Nuremberg gingerbread is considered a Christmas delicacy, however, this does not interfere with preparing it every day. Despite the huge number of ingredients, the recipe is considered simple.
- The step-by-step making of gingerbread begins with the preparation of all the ingredients. It is necessary to preheat the oven in advance, as the cooking process will not take much time.
- Beat 2 eggs and salt until fluffy. Gradually add vanillin and sugar to the mixture. Beat.
- Mix together ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add the resulting bulk mixture to the egg mass.
- Peel nuts and unnecessary debris. Too large fruits are best crushed in a coffee grinder to a small size. Add to the dough.
- Stir candied fruit with rum essence, mix thoroughly and add to the dough.
- Mix all ingredients until a thick mass is obtained. If the dough is not viscous enough, you need to add candied fruits or nuts.
- Spoon the dough onto baking paper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Readiness is checked with a wooden toothpick.
- In order to prepare a chocolate fondant, you can use a ready-made mixture that is sold in a store, or you can make it yourself. To do this, you need to take 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, half a glass of granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons of milk and 70 grams of butter. All ingredients must be mixed and boiled over low heat until small bubbles appear.
- Pour the resulting fondant over the gingerbread cookies and send to the refrigerator to solidify the chocolate mass.
Flour recipe variation
For chefs who do not accept flour-free pastries, there is a quick recipe for Nuremberg gingerbread based on it.
The main ingredients are:
- wheat flour - 300 g;
- almonds - 8-10 pieces;
- hazelnuts - a small handful;
- dried apricots - 100 g;
- lemon candied fruits - 100 g;
- butter - 50 g;
- granulated sugar - 3 tablespoons;
- liquid honey - 150 g;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon;
- half a lemon;
- seasoning for gingerbread;
- cinnamon - 1 teaspoon.
Unlike the original recipe, flour Nuremberg is prepared in the same way as a standard Easter cake. You need to take a deep saucepan and put sugar, honey and butter there. We are waiting for the mixture to heat up and turn into a homogeneous mass. Let cool slightly.
- The next step is to cut dried apricots and mix them with candied lemon.
- We take lemon. Squeeze juice out of it. After that, you need to mix it with the sugar-honey mixture. Gradually you need to mix the resulting mass with gingerbread seasoning. Adding lemon juice will give the gingerbread an amazing lightness note.
- Gradually stir in eggs, nuts, candied fruits and chopped dried apricots into the dough. Mix the dough thoroughly.
- Form medium-weight round gingerbread from the dough. Bake at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
- The glaze is prepared in the usual way, as in the classic version.
- Ready-made gingerbread can be sprinkled with icing sugar.
Calorie content of the finished dish
The nutritional value of a classic homemade Nuremberg gingerbread without flour usually does not exceed 200 kcal per 100 g of delicacy. However, as soon as flour and butter appear in the recipe, the calorie content rises sharply to 350 kcal.
What a Nuremberg gingerbread should look like and where to buy it
The original Nuremberg Gingerbread was large and round. An interesting delicacy was prepared with or without filling. Very often the gingerbread had a glaze on top. The color of the glaze could be different. Commonly used were chocolate, vanilla, and lemon fudge.
The difference between the Nuremberg gingerbread and the usual gingerbread is the complete absence of flour or a very small amount of it. All kinds of nuts and candied fruits are added to the gingerbread. As a rule, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts are used. In the classic recipe, nutmeg is added.
At the moment, the Lambertz group is considered the official manufacturer of Nuremberg gingerbread, which sells gingerbread and gingerbread in its own specialized stores. In addition, on the territory of Bavaria you can find shops selling handmade gingerbread.
The delicacy gained popularity a long time ago thanks to Christmas. Every person living in Europe buys at least 5-6 gingerbread for the holiday. Some of them will definitely go to a gift. The most popular are gingerbread, packed in gift boxes and music boxes.
