My favorite Dutch cookie is a ‘gevulde koek’; a big, round gingerbread spiced cookie with an almond paste filling. A big cookie – the size and look of a hand pie – that’s crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. And I made a holiday version of it by shaping it into a gingerbread house, with a door and window! These stuffed gingerbread house cookies are so fun to make with kids!
For the dough I simple use the recipe for my gingerbread cookies. And the almond paste is the same as the one I use in my Dutch Christmas bread. I draw a simple house on a piece of paper and cut it out. This is what I use for the gingerbread house cut-outs, no fancy cookie cutters needed! This is all it takes to make these stuffed gingerbread house cookies.
How I make these filled gingerbread house cookies?
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ALMOND PASTE FOR THESE COOKIES NEEDS TO BE MADE AT LEAST A DAY AHEAD!
The almond paste
The almond paste comes from another Dutch classic holiday recipe; my Dutch Christmas bread. You will find the recipe for the almond paste here. I make the almond paste at least a day before. The flavor will develop while it rests in the refrigerator.
The dough
Like I already mentioned above, I use the recipe for my Dutch gingerbread cookies to make the dough. It is a simple dough, that comes together quickly. Just click here. Because I make gingerbread cookies all the time during the holidays, I usually make a big batch of dough ahead of time and store it airtight and wrapped in cling foil in the refrigerator. But you can also make the dough when you feel like making these cookies. The dough just has to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using it.
Stuffed the gingerbread house cookies
I draw a simple house on a piece of paper and cut it out. Now I do the same for the door. I use these cut-outs in stead of a cookie cutter (but if you have a large cookie cutter in the shape of a house, by all means use it).
I roll out the cookie dough to ½ cm/ ⅕ inch. To cut out the houses and doors, I use the paper cut-outs; I place them on the rolled out dough and trace them with a knife. I make sure I cut out an even number of houses and I only cut out half the amount of doors.
Now that I have an even amount of houses, I place the cut-out doors on half of them. Then I cut out the window on the ones that have a door. I use a mini heart or star shaped cookie cutter for this. But you can also do this by hand or with a paper cut-out. Round or square windows work as well of course, but I like these playful windows.
I put the cookies on a parchment lined baking tray and place it in the freezer to chill them for 5 minutes so they will firm up and don’t break when I assemble the stuffed gingerbread house cookies.
I add a heaping teaspoon of almond paste on each cookie without cut-outs and press it down slightly. Then I place a windowed cookie on top of it. Using a fork, I seal the cookies (see the picture below for the fork print on the edge of the cookie).
Before sliding the baking tray with gingerbread house cookies in the preheated oven, I apply an egg wash to give the cookies a shiny texture.
The cookies are ready within 10-12 minutes and they will be a dark golden brown when I take them out of the oven.
These stuffed gingerbread house cookies are a true holiday treat. We all love them here in this household. We hope you do too. They are
crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside – holiday spiced – fun to make with kids – SO delicioius!
Stuffed gingerbread house cookies
Equipment
- Baking tray
- parchment paper
- paper and pencil (or large gingerbread house shaped cookie cutter)
- heart and star shaped mini cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 1 batch gingerbread cookie dough*
- 1 batch almond paste*
- 1 egg (whisked with a few drops of water, for the egg wash)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the almond paste at least the day before, following the recipe mentioned below in Notes.
- Make the cookie dough, following the recipe mentioned below in Notes and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, draw a gingerbread house and door on paper and cut it out. Or, if you have a large gingerbread house cookie cutter, use that.
- Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out the cookie to ½ cm/ ⅕ inch. Place the paper cut-outs on the dough and trace them with a knife. Cut out an even number of houses and only cut out half the amount of doors.
- Place the cut-out doors on half of the houses. Cut out the window on the ones that have a door, using a mini heart or star shaped cookie cutter. You can also do this by hand or with a paper cut-out.
- I put the cookies on a parchment lined baking tray and place it in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes, so they will firm up and don't break when I assemble the stuffed cookies.
- I add a heaping teaspoon of almond paste on each cookie without cut-outs and press it down slightly. Then I place a 'windowed cookie' on top of it. Using a fork, I seal the cookies.
- Apply the egg wash to the cookies with a brush.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are dark golden brown.
Notes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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