Gingerbread Spice is what you should reach for in the colder seasons when you've grown weary of the more popular Pumpkin or Apple Flavors. Gingerbread is the oft forgotten flavor hero of the season, with its subtle heat and interesting dimensions. Gingerbread spice is perfect for making gingerbread, gingerbread men, cookies, cakes, anything you can imagine that you want to incorporate that delicious flavor into! We like it on stir fried vegetables, especially green beans, and we love it sprinkled over cream based desserts. Has anyone thought to stir Gingerbread Spice into their plain yogurt yet? Because they should!

The Story of Our Gingerbread Spice

Gingerbread is an exceptionally popular part of the holiday season. It is impossible to think about chilly snowy days and not think about making gingerbread men or building gingerbread houses! Gingerbread houses were likely invented in Germany, popularized by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel." Originally, gingerbread was the name for preserved ginger though over time the meaning of the word has morphed into what we know today as being a soft bread or a snappy cookie. Likely, this new definition began to stick during the 15th century. Typically, any gingerbread recipe you find today will include a blend of ginger and a sweetener, like honey, molasses, or treacle.

The first known recipe for gingerbread as we know it today was from Greece, dated around 2400 BCE. Recipes for gingerbread in China didn't come about until the 10th century, and it wasn't until the late Middle Ages that Europeans had an established gingerbread recipe. Queen Elizabeth I made gingerbread extremely popular when she would present visiting foreign dignitaries with the treat, often in shapes that were a caricature of that person. Gingerbread people were also thought to signal love, and were given as small romantic gifts to lovers at street fairs. Young ladies would eat "gingerbread husbands" in hopes that they would find a husband soon.

The record for largest gingerbread house ever made was held until 2006 by the Mall of America, but was defeated by a nearly 40,000 cubic feet gingerbread house built at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas.

We wanted to develop a blend that would touch on the more nuanced flavors of the fall, and so gingerbread spice was born. It's a perfect addition to any spice cabinet, but especially for those who love baking fall directly into their desserts. One of the key components to our Gingerbread Spice is of course the ginger. Despite the common misconception circulating that ginger is a root, it is in fact a rhizome, also known as an underground stem. First cultivated in ancient China, ginger was used medicinally. Henry VIII was known to consume ginger regularly as part of his healthcare, because he believed ginger would help stave off the plague. Today we use ginger for soothing upset stomachs and to make gingerbread!

What's in it?

Our Gingerbread Spice is blended from ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper and allspice.

Flavor Profile

Our Gingerbread Spice is warm, earthy, and slightly peppery.

Where to Use Gingerbread Spice

Gingerbread Spice is intended for use in all sorts of gingerbread recipes of course, but you can also use it in gingersnap cookies, in chili, on oatmeal, in pancake and waffle batter, on French toast, and in muffins! You can sprinkle it on top of vanilla ice cream, on top of milkshakes and whipped cream, or even add it to a tray of your favorite roasted squash. You can even use this blend to make a gingerbread cheesecake.

You can even stir a spoonful of Gingerbread Spice into your hot chocolate, chai, or morning coffee, for just a boost of flavor. One of our favorite alcoholic beverages, intended for those of the legal drinking age only, is a gingerbread martini. Simply take 2 parts of a cream liqueur like Baileys or RumChata and mix with 1 part vanilla vodka and 1 part gingerbread liquor. Shake thoroughly with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of our Gingerbread Spice on top, and serve with a gingerbread cookie on the side! Or, make this drink to enjoy while you're decorating some gingerbread people and then have a cookie or two later. Either way, this drink pairs beautifully with a nice, cozy night in.

Helpful Hints

Gingerbread Spice is very flavorful. Use a small amount at a time and add more to taste.

Read More

Sweet and Bitter Flavors
All About Spices
Holiday Spice Guide
The History of Gingerbread