Gingerbread spice mix

This homemade gingerbread spice mix is quick and easy to make and it will improve the taste of any gingerbread dessert.

The first time I’ve baked gingerbread cookies using this homemade gingerbread spice mix, I thought “oh, that’s how real gingerbread should taste like”. They were just so flavorful and fragrant.

Ingredients

Gingerbread spice is made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, allspice, star anise, coriander, and black pepper.

If you don’t have star anise or coriander, you can omit them.

The recipe calls for the small seeds inside the star anise, not the whole star anise.

What’s the difference between gingerbread spice mix and pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is made with only 5 spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. It’s more mild than the gingerbread spice and has more cinnamon. Gingerbread spice also contains additional spices such as star anise, cardamom, black pepper, coriander, which bring a more Christmassy feeling.

For me, pumpkin pie spice smells like fall and gingerbread spice like winter and the holidays. 

How to make homemade gingerbread spice mix

STEP 1: If you have purchased whole spices, you need to grind them first.

STEP 2: Measure out all the ingredients.

STEP 3: Combine all the spices in a tightly closed jar. Shake with the jar until all the spices are evenly distributed.

How to grind spices

• You can use a coffee grinder
• You can use powerful blender.
• I have heard Thermomix grinds such hard spices very well.
• Using a pestle and mortar (this is what I’ve done). When it comes to mortar, you need a large and solid mortar. I have a Thai granite mortar (check out this pesto recipe to see the photo). Don’t buy a small mortar, you will only be frustrated. A couple of years ago I’ve bought one – I just wanted to try it out and see if I will be using it but it landed in trash. It’s better to invest and buy a solid mortar and pestle.

Top tips

• The most flavorful spice mix is made from whole spices that are freshly ground.
• If you can’t find all the whole spices you can mix freshly ground spices with store-bought ground spices.
• You can make the spice mix with just store-bought ground spices. It won’t be more flavorful than store-bought gingerbread spice but it will be cheaper and you can control what goes in it and adjust it to your liking.
• Don’t make big batches of the spice mix, spices lose their flavor quickly so it’s better to make a new batch rather than to use a flavorless one.
• You can omit spices that you don’t have on hand, except cinnamon. You can also change the spice ratios to your liking.

Gingerbread spice mix uses

• gingerbread cookies
• gingerbread loaf
• add it to chocolate mousse/pudding (try it with this healthy chocolate pudding)
• spice up your oatmeal
• add it to your coffee (gingerbread latte!) or to this coffee banana smoothie
• use it anywhere you would add pumpkin pie spice, but keep in mind, that this dessert will taste slightly different (try these recipes: pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin pie apple ring pancakes, pumpkin roll)
• this spice mix makes also a great gift – you can put it in small decorative jars and use homemade labels
• add it to caramel sauce to make gingerbread caramel sauce

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