German Dominosteine Christmas Cookies – Layered Gingerbread Cookies

The German Dominosteine Christmas Cookies are prepared in 3 layers. The first layer is a gingerbread, in the middle a jelly layer, and on top a marzipan layer. After cutting the cookies into squares, they are dipped in dark chocolate.

Ingredients  for the German Dominosteine Christmas Cookies:

Gingerbread:

• 125 g (4.4 oz) of honey
• 40 g (1.4 oz) of butter
• 30 g (1 oz) of sugar, brown
• 2 egg yolks, XL
• 250 g (8.81 oz) of flour, all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon of gingerbread spice mixture, (find the recipe for the homemade spice mix here)
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of Kirschwasser OR Sherry OR fruit juice OR water

Jelly Layer:

• 500 g (1.1 lb) of apricot jam or jam of your personal taste
• 100 ml (3.38 oz) of fresh orange juice
• 1 pouch of gelatin OR Agar, Agar (used as described on the package)
• 2 tablespoons of water, to dissolve the gelatin

Marzipan Layer:

• 200 g (10.58 oz) of marzipan OR almond paste
• 1 tablespoon of rose water
• 125-150 g (4.4-5.29 oz) of powdered sugar

Icing:

• 300 g (10.58 oz) of chocolate, dark or white or mixed
• 30-40 g (1-1.4 oz) of coconut oil, depending on what kind of chocolate is used

Preparation of the Gingerbread:

Melt the honey, butter, and sugar in a double boiler (Bain-Marie). Let it cool down. In the meantime mix the egg yolks with the Kirschwasser/liquid by your choice. Add the honey mixture to the eggs and beat the ingredients until they are combined.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and cocoa, sift it into a separate bowl and add the spices and salt. Add the flour mixture slowly, one tablespoon at the time, to the honey egg mixture while continually beating the dough with a handheld mixer.

Place an adjustable cake ring 25 x 30 cm (9.48 x 11.81 in) on baking paper and add the dough. Before rolling the dough, cover it with cellophane wrap, which makes the spreading easier. Once the dough is shaped, remove the cellophane wrap and expand the baking ring a little to cover the sides with baking paper. It helps to avoid the dough from sticking to the baking ring during baking. Close the ring again and place the rolled dough with the baking paper on a baking sheet.

       

Preheat the oven to 180°C – 355-360°F, place the gingerbread on the middle roast and bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave the cake after baking in the ring on the baking sheet.

Preparation of the Jelly Layer:

Add the gelatin to the water and stir with a fork. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Mix the jelly and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil while continually stirring with a whisk. Remove the saucepan from the stove and add the gelatin. Stir the jelly until the gelatin dissolves, and the jelly is smooth.

Spread the jelly mixture on top of the gingerbread in the cake ring. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or until the jelly hardens.

                    

Preparation of the Marzipan Layer:

Knead the marzipan with the rose water and powdered sugar using your hands. If the marzipan is too sticky, add more powdered sugar, if it is too dry, add more rose water.

Remove the cake ring and baking paper from the gingerbread/jelly layers. Roll the marzipan between two layers of cellophane wrap. After removing the cellophane wrap from the top, cover the jelly layer with the marzipan and make sure both layers are connected. Also, remove the cellophane wrap from the bottom. Cut off the edges to straighten the layers. Place the cake in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight before cutting the cookies.

    

Finishing of the German Dominosteine Christmas Cookies:

Before cutting the squares for the cookies 2.5 x 2.5 cm (1 x 1 in), draw lines on top of the cake with a knife using a ruler to measure.

Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a double boiler (Bain-Marie) and stir until smooth. Cover the Dominosteine with the chocolate. Place the cookie on a large fork, dip in the chocolate and use a spoon to cover the cookie entirely. Place the chocolate covered cookies first on a rack so the chocolate can drop and afterward on a baking sheet covered with baking paper until the chocolate is dry.

    

To find the recipe for the German Marzipan Potatoes Recipe click here, and for the German Marzipan Cookies Bethmaennchen click here.