Ren Behan, the author of Sweet Polish Kitchen, discovered a way to make Polish gingerbread biscuits from Torun at home, though the recipe is typically a well-guarded secret.

Oh, you know, making Polish gingerbread biscuits is a piece of cake – or should I say, a piece of peppery pierniczki? Ren Behan cracked the code for those secret recipes. Toruń, famous for stopping the Sun and moving the Earth (thanks, Copernicus!), is also home to these mind-blowing 260-year-old gingerbread delights by Kopernik. Because nothing says festive like cookies named after a 4th-century saint, right? Enter Katarzynki, shaped like clouds and probably more mystical than your average pastry.

So, on Katarzynki Day, the young lads in Poland celebrate by munching on these spicy, chocolate-covered wonders and attempting to foresee their future wives’ names. Move over, fortune tellers – gingerbread knows all. And let’s not forget the groundbreaking revelation that, despite the name, these goodies might not even have ginger. Shocking, I know. The English may call them gingerbread, but in Poland, it’s all about the peppery vibes.

Alright, buckle up for a journey into the world of homemade magic. To summon these divine Polish gingerbread biscuits, gather the following enchanted ingredients:

200g runny honey (because regular honey just won’t do)

100g soft dark brown sugar (to add a touch of mysterious sweetness)

100g butter, at room temperature (because cold butter is so last century)

100g white rye flour (for that extra dash of sophistication)

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (because a little dusting never hurt anyone)

1 tsp baking powder (to give your biscuits a lift)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (for that magical fizz)

2 tsp ground cinnamon (to spice things up a bit)

1 tsp ground cloves (because who can resist the charm of cloves?)

1 tsp ground allspice (for an all-encompassing flavor experience)

2 tsp cocoa powder (because chocolate makes everything better)

2 egg yolks (because the yolks on you if you forget them)

400g good-quality dark chocolate, melted (because mediocre chocolate is so last season)

Combine these elements with the finesse of a potion master, and you’ll have the key to unlocking the taste of Toruń’s legendary gingerbread. May your kitchen be filled with the sweet aroma of enchantment!

Here’s the simplified guide to whip up those Katarzynki, the magical Polish gingerbread biscuits:

Step 1: In a small pan, mix honey, sugar, and butter. Heat until melted and set aside.

Step 2: In a big bowl, mix dry stuff with egg yolks. Pour in the melted honey mix. Stir until a dough forms. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350F. Line a baking sheet.

Step 4: Roll out the dough and use a biscuit cutter to make shapes. Put them on the baking sheet, leaving space.

Step 5: Bake for 20 minutes until light golden. Let them cool on a rack, then transfer to a tin. Wait for 2 weeks before getting chocolate involved.

Step 6: Coat with melted chocolate. Place on a rack to dry, then store in a tin.

Voila! You’re now the master of Katarzynki. May your biscuits be forever golden and your chocolate forever melty!