These Swiss French gingerbreads, known as Biscômes, are a popular snack during the winter holidays. St. Nicholas will often hand them out to children on December 6, for his eponymous day. Pair them with a warming mug of tea, coffee or mulled wine. You will find gingerbreads like these in other regions of Switzerland as well, which will generally be called lebkuchen (German).

Biscômes

Makes 10-12 gingerbreads

INGREDIENTS

Dough:
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour*
2 tablespoons (15 grams) gingerbread spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (105 grams) honey
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
scant ¼ cup (50 ml) milk
1 egg (50 grams), lightly beaten

Brush on before baking:
2 teaspoons milk
¼ teaspoon sugar

Icing:
1¼ cups (150 grams) powdered sugar
about 1½ tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl: flour, gingerbread spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

2. Over a water bath, gently heat and whisk together the honey and sugar in a heat-safe bowl, until smooth and well-combined. Remove the bowl from the water bath. Then, whisk in the milk. Finally, while whisking, gently pour in the lightly beaten egg.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir just until a dough forms, by hand or with an electric mixer. On a lightly floured surface, as the dough will be sticky, form the dough into a small disc and refrigerate it for about 8-12 hours (e.g., overnight).

4. Take the dough out of the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, with a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to a thickness of about ¼-inch (5-6 mm). Cut the dough into 10-12 rectangular pieces or use your favorite cookie cutter. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Whisk together the milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Brush a light coating of the mixture on the surface of gingerbread cut-outs. This helps to remove any excess flour and give the surface a bit of a shine.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400º F (200º C), until their surface becomes golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.6.

7. When the Biscômes have fully cooled, make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar and water in a medium bowl until completely smooth. Add the icing to a piping bag and decorate as desired.

*Often made with spelt flour, my recipe below calls for wheat flour. Feel free to use spelt flour instead, if you can find something like a “white spelt flour.” If you use a “whole grain spelt flour,” you may need to add a little more milk to the dough, if it seems to dry.

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