Glaze for gingerbread and cookies

Cooking: 15 minutes

Glaze for gingerbread and cookies is a very popular product and culinary experts usually divide it into 3 types. All three types of glaze differ from each other only in the mixture. As follows, there is a watery, medium mixture and thick glaze. Each glaze has its own use; now we will prepare glaze specifically for painting gingerbread and cookies.

A few words about glaze

With this glaze you can make breathtakingly beautiful and even pictures on cookies or gingerbread. You can color the glaze any color using food coloring. Dyes can be used dry or gel. There is no difference, except that gel dyes are easier to mix into the glaze.

Regarding sweet powder, store-bought sweet powder is not suitable at all. You need finely dispersed sweet powder, in other words, very fine grinding. They don’t sell this in stores and it’s impossible to prepare it yourself at home. You can buy such sweet powder in special confectionery stores.

Icing for gingerbread

Chicken egg white – 1 pc.
Sweet powder – 200 g
Food coloring – 1 ml

Gingerbread glaze recipe

First, take the protein at room temperature and shake it slightly.

There is no need to beat, just shake a little to break up the protein compounds and create the most homogeneous protein.

Now we mix sweet powder into the protein, almost 1-2 teaspoons at a time.

Be sure to sift the powder. Isn’t it enough, there might be a sugar crystal or speck in there. This will not only clog the nozzle for you, but will also significantly spoil your mood while you are taking this crystal out of the pastry bag.

During the initial step, the sweet powder will form clumps in the whites.

This is how it should be, continue to sift the powder and the mass will become evenly more homogeneous.

Over time, the glaze mixture will become more homogeneous, but its color will still be closer to grayish than snow-white.

We continue to sift the powder, making sure that the powder is carefully mixed into the mass and does not remain on the walls of the bowl. This will lead to the appearance of unnecessary dried lumps.

The total amount of sweet powder per protein is from 150 to 250 g.

The amount of sweet powder is determined by the glaze mixture that suits you. At this step I have already sifted approximately 130 grams of sweet powder. The glaze has an even snow-white color and watery consistency. This glaze mixture is suitable for decorating Easter cakes or if you just need to paint the gingerbread with a fuzzy, regular design. But we need the thickest mixture, so we continue to add sweet powder.

The glaze can be considered ready when the mark left by the whisk does not go away for more than 10 seconds. This step usually takes about 200 grams of powder.

To make sure the glaze is ready, you can let it drip from the whisk onto some board or plate.

If the left stripes do not spread and hold their shape, the glaze is ready. It will also hold up well on gingerbread cookies.

If you add another 50-80 grams of sweet powder to the glaze, you will get a thick sweet paste with which you can create beautiful large patterns or even sculpt them with your hands.

Divide the finished glaze into parts and paint each part in the desired colors.

Adjust the amount of dye depending on the desired color of the finished glaze.

Place the finished and colored glaze into pastry bags, either with or without nozzles.

Tie the ends of the bags in a knot or tighten them with rubber bands. If you draw without using nozzles, then simply cut off the edge of the bag and make a very small hole.

Making gingerbread glaze

Almost all housewives at home usually bake gingerbread cookies before New Year's holidays and other celebrations - this delicacy will be a beautiful addition to the festive table or a sweet gift for loved ones.

To decorate gingerbread cookies, different types of glaze are used, among which even the most experienced gourmet will be able to choose the best option for himself.

Traditional
Snow White
Colored
Protein
With lemon
Chocolate
Sweet
With added rum
Recipe without eggs
Questions answers
Why doesn't the glaze on gingerbread cookies shine?
How long does it take for glaze to dry?
How to dry glaze in the oven?

Traditional

Traditional recipe gingerbread glaze contains:

250 gr. sweet powder;
1 testicle.

Manufacturing stages:

Sift the powder to remove all lumps;
Separate the egg white and beat in the sweet powder until thick.

To make the patterns on baked goods more colorful, it is recommended to divide the resulting mixture for decoration into several parts, then add different natural dyes to them.

Snow White

Ingredients of sweet snow-white glaze for painting gingerbread cookies:

2 testicles;
300 gr. sweet powder;
20 gr. tangerine zest.

Separate the whites;
Sift the powder and mix thoroughly with the protein;
Grind the zest and combine it with the main mixture.

If desired, the tangerine zest can be replaced with lemon or orange zest.

Colored

Colored glaze for decorating festive gingerbread cookies contains:

2 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
2 testicles;
200 gr. sweet powder;
1 tbsp. l. freshly squeezed juice of beets, spinach and carrots.

Method for making multi-colored gingerbread glaze:

Sift the powder, pour lemon juice into it, beat until foamy;
Divide the mixture into 3 parts and color each with selected vegetable juices.

This recipe contains only natural ingredients, so it can be used to decorate gingerbread and other gingerbread cookies even for little kids.

Protein

10 ml lemon juice;
220 gr. powdered sugar;
1 testicle.

Rules for making protein glaze for newly baked gingerbread:

Separate the protein and stirring frequently, add lemon juice drop by drop;
Add powder in small portions, continuously whisking until thick.

The resulting glaze can be immediately applied to gingerbread and other types of gingerbread.

With lemon

2 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
2 tbsp. l. ground sweet sand or powder;
100 gr. fatty butter.

Making citrus cream:

Melt the butter, mix with powder;
Add juice, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

This recipe is suitable both for coating gingerbread and for applying to cupcakes or other products.

Chocolate

25 gr. starch;
100 gr. sweet powder;
3 tbsp. l. cocoa;
3 tbsp. l. filtered water.

Recipe for glaze with cocoa powder for gingerbread cookies:

Sift the powder, add potato starch and cocoa to it;
Pour chilled water into the purchased mixture and stir.

If you follow all the tips, the result is a glossy cream that hardens for a longer time than the protein coating.

This is a perfect glaze for already cooled or just cooked baked goods - to enhance the taste, it is decorated with crushed nuts or coconut flakes on top.

Sweet

250 gr. sweet sand;
100 ml filtered water.

First, water is heated in a saucepan, then sugar is poured into it and cooked until the sweet grains are completely dissolved. After cooling, it is ready for use - for a rich smell, it is recommended to use a flavoring agent.

Tall gingerbread cookies are most often served with snow-white sweet glaze - it allows you to effortlessly cover the flour product with an even layer on all sides using a silicone pastry brush.

With added rum

30 ml snow-white or dark rum;
50 gr. dark or milk chocolate
50 ml each of milk, heavy cream and butter.

Making Tips:

Melt the chocolate, pour in milk and cream, then butter;
Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and pour in the rum.

Alcohol adds a unique flavor; gingerbread with this icing should only be served to adult guests.

Recipe without eggs

270 gr. sweet powder;
4 tbsp. l. clean water;
2 tbsp. l. lemon juice.

To make it, you need to evenly add lemon juice to the previously sifted powder, stirring constantly. When all the lumps are broken, add warm water and mix again. Before applying to sweets, it is recommended to check the thickness - for this, a small amount of the mixture is dripped onto a saucer. If it does not pour into the container, you can start decorating the baked goods.

Questions answers

Why doesn't the glaze on gingerbread cookies shine?

All types of glaze shine until it dries - then they get a matte color. The glossy color is characteristic only of chocolate, prepared with the right proportions, and with the addition of a small amount of glucose syrup.

How long does it take for glaze to dry?

This depends on the mixture and the thickness of the applied layer. To make it dry faster, a thin layer is applied to the product first, and after a couple of minutes the main mass is distributed.

How to dry glaze in the oven?

The baking tray with the baked goods should be placed in an oven preheated to 40–50 degrees and left for 10–20 minutes. All this time it is necessary to ensure that the coating does not change its color.

When making, don’t be afraid to experiment with the ingredients - this will allow you to create a glaze with a unique color, smell or taste. You can involve kids in the process of creating sweets - they will remain in ecstasy from creating ornaments and decorations for ordinary gingerbread cookies.

Method for making the correct glaze for painting gingerbread cookies

Now I will share with you a method for producing the correct glaze for the upcoming painting job. There are a huge number of aspects and I will try to mention them all.

To begin with, I would like to say that, unfortunately, I took the photo closer to the evening and therefore the colors in the photo differ from the unique ones. As a result, your glaze (if properly mixed) will be white. If it has a yellow color, it means you have not completely beaten the egg whites, but more on that later.

I will be glad to have any of your questions, which you can ask either in the comments under the master class, or to me personally.

I would like to start with the fact that according to the usual recipe, the ratio of protein to powder is: 200 g - 1 protein. But due to the fact that everyone’s proteins are different in mass, it is better to add powder evenly and carefully watch the glaze mixture. Be prepared that you may need a little less or more sweet powder. Density is discussed below.

There are three types of glaze mixture:

Filling.
Outline for ornaments
Outline for inscriptions.

The filling is the most watery, and that’s what I’ll be talking about at the moment. The contour for the ornaments is even thicker, it holds its shape and when kneading you can form peaks. The outline for the inscriptions is the thickest; to work with it you need confectionery nozzles with a narrow tip (for neat inscriptions).

So here we go

To work with glaze we need quite a few tools:

Sweet powder - 200 g (look for a small one. This is very important. If you add large powder to the protein, the glaze will not be homogeneous and you cannot pour it into gingerbread or cookies).
Egg - 1 piece (carefully separate the white from the yolk. The presence of the yolk in the glaze is not necessary, but if it still gets into your cup with the white, then a teaspoon will help you - carefully collect the spilled yolk.).
Mixing bowl (be sure to thoroughly wipe away any possible water ahead of time. Most glaze recipes say that moisture is simply incompatible with the glaze. I only half agree with this, but I still painstakingly wipe the containers where I prepare the glaze).
Mechanical or manual whisk.
Lemon juice - optional (added to better beat the whites. I don’t add it, the whites mix well anyway.).

It’s important - before you start working with icing, find a container from which you will create the painting (pastry bag, food bag, file). Also check out the information on food coloring.

With this we finish with theory and move on to practice.

Basic sequence of action:

Separate the white from the yolk (I had two whites):

2. We begin to beat the egg whites with a whisk ( basically : beat the egg whites first, add powder later):

Your protein should turn into foam like this. With small bubbles, there will be still unbeaten egg whites on the bottom of your container, but this is not terrible. The main thing is not to stir the protein, watch it closely.

3. Add the powder evenly and mix evenly until the mixture is homogeneous:

And here is the finished glaze-fill :) If, when dripping from above, the glaze holds its shape in a similar way as in the photo, then the mixture is correct. If it spills very quickly, it means it is very watery. For me it came out white, without a yellowish tint.

And then the working moments : Mixing glaze with dye, pouring into pastry bags and, in fact, painting the gingerbread itself

Three fill colors and one outline color for ornaments.

The result of our work with glaze

Delicious and wonderful!

Fundamentally: for painting “lace” you need a pastry nozzle No. 1.

How to make gingerbread icing at home

Fragrant and delicate gingerbread cookies are the most beloved baked goods of those with a sweet tooth. They are prepared simply, and most importantly quickly. To give baked goods some sophistication and appetizing, you should cover them with a savory coating. Don't know what kind of glaze to make for gingerbread? Then take advantage of the little tips.

Preparing a traditional glaze
Snow-white fondant for gingerbread baking
Colored mixture for baking decoration
Preparing protein glaze at home
Preparing sweet glaze - quickly and easily
Secrets of making chocolate consistency for baking
Lemon coating - how to prepare at home
Let's dilute the taste of the chocolate coating with rum
Egg-free recipe
Useful tips

Preparing a traditional glaze

Gingerbread glaze , prepared according to a traditional recipe, is perfect for decorating gingerbread and honey gingerbread, as well as sweet pastries made with butter and kefir.

To prepare the syrup, you should prepare the following products:

a glass of sweet powder;
one protein.

The powder should definitely be passed through a sieve. No lumps are allowed. Beat the egg white into a dry bowl and carefully add the powder. Actively knead the mixture and pour over the cooled gingerbread cookies.

Snow-white fondant for gingerbread baking

Sweet icing for gingerbread cookies is the part of baking that children prefer most. It's not mind-blowing! After all, the peak is so sweet and fragrant. Gingerbread is a frequent guest on festive tables. By the way, baked goods are not only used as food, but they also decorate the Christmas tree and give treats to children to decorate.

To prepare the gingerbread glaze, you will need:

one testicle;
half a lemon;
a glass of sweet powder;
a tablespoon of starch.

Separate the white from the yolk, add lemon juice, and immediately mix in the other dry ingredients. Mix everything with a whisk and cover the fragrant ginger pastries. If you wish, you can add any food coloring. The gingerbread icing is ready!

Colored mixture for baking decoration

Making colored icing for gingerbread cookies and other fragrant baked goods will not take much of your time. This will take a maximum of 20 minutes. To prepare the color mixture, stock up on the following ingredients:

egg white;
food coloring of your choice;
vanilla;
citric acid – 1 g;
a glass of sweet powder.

Add the protein into a dry bowl, add all the dry ingredients here and knead our mixture. If you need to make several colors of glaze, then divide the mixture into the required amount of servings, and add the desired colors to each. The color concentration depends on the amount of dye. Colored protein glaze for gingerbread is ready!

Preparing protein glaze at home

The protein mixture is an ideal coating not only for gingerbread products, but also for certain types of cakes and Easter cakes.

To prepare a thick mixture, you should prepare the following products:

freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1 tablespoon;
a glass of sweet powder;
vanilla;
egg white.

The protein must be chilled. Add powder, lemon and vanilla to it. Mix the mixture well with a whisk and let it thicken in the refrigerator.

Preparing sweet glaze - quickly and easily

Sweet glaze is a taste that comes from youth. Perhaps this is one of the few recipes with a sweet consistency that does not require any special abilities or a huge amount of ingredients from the cook. To start making, you should stock up on just a couple of ingredients:

a glass of sugar;
2 glasses of water;
a pinch of citric acid.

Pour the prepared sugar and citric acid into a saucepan. Fill the food with water and put it on fire. Boil the sweet liquid until it begins to stick to the spoon. Remove from heat and let it brew. You should not worry if it comes out very watery - it will harden on the gingerbread products.

Secrets of making chocolate consistency for baking

A good option for honey gingerbread cookies, also for the Honey cake. The presented delicacy can be used to cover the entire confectionery product, or simply create inscriptions and patterns.

And to prepare the chocolate mixture, you should prepare:

a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder;
a couple of tablespoons of full-fat milk;
half a glass of sweet powder;
50 g butter;
vanilla to taste.

Add all the dry ingredients in the pan completely. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat. Add butter, stir vigorously and set aside the mass until it completely hardens.

Lemon coating - how to prepare at home

An ideal option for gingerbread cookies, including gingerbread ones, as well as cupcakes and sponge cakes. A slight sour taste will dilute the taste of the confectionery product.

For the lemon coating, prepare the following ingredients:

a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice;
half a glass of sweet powder.

Let's dilute the taste of the chocolate coating with rum

Alcoholic drinks perfectly complement the taste of confectionery products. In the vast majority of cases, they are used for impregnation and are also added to cream. To make the chocolate coating with rum, which will be needed to decorate the baked goods, you should prepare the following ingredients:

dark chocolate bar;
50 g milk;
50 g cream;
50 grams of butter;
2 spoons of rum.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put on fire. Add milk, cream, butter to the chocolate mass. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add a couple of teaspoons of rum to the mixture. If the liquid does not seem sweet to you, you can add powder at your discretion.

Egg-free recipe

Gingerbread frosting without protein? Yes, you can make gingerbread coating without adding protein. Don't worry that the mixture won't stick to the baked goods.

To ensure everything goes well, prepare the following ingredients:

50 g chickpea broth;
150 sweet powder;
5 tablespoons cornstarch.

Add powder evenly into the chickpea broth. When the mixture becomes homogeneous, add cornstarch. After this, beat the coating with a mixer for at least 10 minutes. At the end you will get a fluffy mass that can be used to cover not only gingerbread cookies, but also any pastry with a wide surface.

Useful tips

Also follow the advice of experienced confectioners:

A thin layer of coating should be applied to the freshest baked goods, and only then proceed to the final glazing.
Do not cover baked goods with hot liquid. It can spoil the taste of sweets.
Hot glaze must not be applied to a confectionery product coated with protein cream.
The chocolate coating on top can be decorated with coconut shavings or nuts.
A powder-based glaze should be applied to baked goods before they cool.
It’s easy to find out if the coating is ready: just dip the edge of your finger into the mixture; if your finger “tolerates” it, the delicacy is ready.

Now you understand how to create gingerbread glaze at home. Don’t be afraid to experiment with ingredients, then the coating will also turn out unusual!