Homemade Pain d’Épices Spice Blend
Pain d’épices is a traditional French gingerbread made with honey and a blend of spices. While it’s easy to find ready-made versions in France, I often prefer to make it myself so I can control the flavor and adjust it exactly to my taste. In this post, I’ll show you how I mix my pain d’épices spice blend.
In This Post
Just like my Herbes de Provence, which I also mix myself, I love making my own pain d’épices spice blend. It takes just 5 minutes and is often much more affordable than store-bought blends 😉.
These Spices Belong in Pain d’Épices
These is the list of all spices that belongs in a the classic Pain d’Épices recipe :
- Cinnamon: The base of the blend. Its aromatic, slightly woody fragrance gives Pain d’Épices its typical Christmassy character.
- Ginger: Ginger adds a subtle spiciness and depth that harmonizes wonderfully with honey.
- Green aniseed: Lends a fine, fresh spiciness with its slightly licorice-like note.
- Cloves: Cloves are very intense and round off the aroma – it is better not to use too much here.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg provides a nutty, slightly earthy note and makes the mixture beautifully balanced.
- Coriander: I add a small amount of ground coriander, but really only a little, as it is very intense.
My tip: I usually use ground spices because they are easier to measure out. However, if you want to go one step further, you can also use whole spices such as for example cinnamon sticks, aniseed, whole cloves and nutmeg and grind them yourself in a mortar.
Recipe card
Spicemix for Pain d’épices (French Gingerbread)
Click on the stars to rate!
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp ground anise seed
- 1½ tsp ground cloves ½ Tbsp = 1½ tsp
- 1½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ tsp ground coriander ¼ Tbsp = ¾ tsp
Instructions
- Mix the spices well in a bowl, then use a funnel to transfer them into dry, airtight containers.
Nutrition
How to Use This Gingerbread Spice Blend
I use this spice blend for much more than just pain d’épices. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:
- Baking – These spices are also delicious in Christmas sugar cookies, shortbreads, or even a simple pound cake. Just a small amount is enough to add lots of flavors!
- Hot drinks – Add a pinch to a hot chocolate, tea, herbal tea, or even a warm holiday punch.
- Dried fruit and nuts – It’s super for seasoning roasted nuts, almonds, or dried fruit, that you can then serve as a cozy holiday appetizer or snack.
- Crêpes and waffles – Stir a pinch directly into the batter, it’s delicious!
How to Store Your Spice Blend
Now that you made this beautiful spice blends, you have to make sure it’s stored properly so that it remains aromatic for as long as possible. Here are some tips :
- Keep it airtight: Store the spice mix in a tightly sealed jar or container to preserve their freshness for as long as possible.
- Store it cool and dark: Make sure they are placed in a cool, dark place to protect the spices from light, heat and moisture, which could diminish their aroma.
- For even more flavor: Lightly toast the spices in a dry skillet just before using them, it will intensify their aroma.
- Use small jars: Fill the spice blend in small jars to make a gift, perfect for Christmas or as a present for your friends and family.
