How to Store Gingerbread Dough? How Long Does It Last?
The best thing about gingerbread dough is that you can wait to bake it. If you are on a tight schedule, you can store it for later use. So, how do you store gingerbread dough?
To store gingerbread dough, you will need an airtight bag or a container made to prevent it from drying. If stored correctly, the dough will last up to a week in a refrigerator, and the freezer will keep it fresh for up to 3 months.
Since gingerbread cookies are often on my menu during winter, I have discovered a way to keep the dough fresh and ready to use whenever I need it. In the following text, I will explain how to store it correctly, how long it can last, and what to do with leftover gingerbread dough.
How to Store Gingerbread Cookie Dough?
To store gingerbread dough, you will need a ziplock bag, tin foil, or plastic wrap. It is essential to have a package that can prevent oxygen from entering. Otherwise, the dough will become dry and hard to roll out.
Once you make the dough, wrap it with plastic or tin foil, or place it in a ziplock bag and extract the air. You can do that with either a vacuum sealer or by dipping the bag in a bowl of water and slowly pushing the air upwards. After that, place it in the refrigerator or freezer.
You can also use eco-friendly alternatives such as wax or parchment paper, but you will still need to wrap it up in plastic if you want to freeze it.
Also, it is useful to roll out the dough before wrapping it. That will make it easier to cut out the cookies once you get them out of the refrigerator.
How Long Does Gingerbread Cookie Dough Last?
If you made gingerbread dough yourself, refrigerating it will keep it fresh for 7 days. The dough can last for 3 months in the freezer with proper wrapping. Avoid leaving it at room temperature for more than an hour or two because it will melt and go bad quickly.
What to Do With Leftover Gingerbread Cookie Dough?
It is easy to make more gingerbread dough than you can bake, especially during holidays. Luckily, you can put the leftover dough to good use in many ways. So, if you need help with what to do with it, here are some ideas.
Freeze it
The simple solution for dealing with leftover gingerbread dough is to freeze it. Wrap it tightly in plastic or tin foil, and place it in a freezer. However, avoid refreezing if the dough is already sitting in the freezer.
Make Tart Cases
Because of its texture, you can reshape gingerbread dough into tart cases. Roll out the leftover dough as thin as you can (preferably to 3 millimeters or ⅛ of an inch), cut it out into circles, and carefully place them into a cupcake pan.
Before baking, put the pan with gingerbread tart cases in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes. That way, they will get firm and keep their shape while baking.
Bake the tart cases at 320 °F for 10-15 minutes. When you get them out of the oven, let them cool off and add a filling of your choice.
Make Mini Cheesecakes
In most recipes for gingerbread cheesecake, you will find that the crust is made out of already-baked cookies. However, you can make a mini version of gingerbread cheesecake with leftover dough.
Cut out the dough into smaller pieces and roll them into balls. Put the balls into a cupcake pan, use a teaspoon to press a hole in them, and fill them with cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
Bake mini gingerbread cheesecakes at 350 °F for 8-10 minutes.
Make an Apple Pie
Leftover gingerbread dough is also a lovely base for an apple pie. You will need apples, sugar, butter, juice of ½ lemon, and cinnamon for this recipe.
Peel 3 middle-sized apples, cut them into slices, and place them in a larger saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, lemon juice, and one ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and cook these ingredients until they caramelize.
While the caramelized sauce is cooling, roll out the gingerbread dough, and place it into a baking pan. Put caramelized apples with a sauce over the dough and bake it at 356 °F until dough becomes golden brown.
Instead of apples, you can also use pears, cherries, peaches, blueberries, or any other fruit that suits your taste.
