Nothing says Christmas quite like the scent of gingerbread filling your kitchen or a quaint Christmassy scene made out of gingerbread on proud display. These simple gingerbread cookies not only taste delicious, but they are also really easy to make, perfect for keeping kids entertained during the Christmas holidays. Whether you are stamping out star shapes, gingerbread men, or constructing a Christmas gingerbread house, this classic recipe will be enjoyed by the whole family.
Follow our top tips and you'll be rewarded with perfect gingerbread dough every time!
Gingerbread recipe tips:
- Make sure to melt your butter and sugar over a low heat in order to prevent the mixture from burning before the sugar has had time to dissolve
- Chill your dough for at least 30min. It will make rolling the dough out much easier as it won't stick to the rolling pin or worktop. Alternatively roll your dough out between two sheets of baking parchment once chilled
- Chilling your dough will also allow the dough to rest and therefore the gluten to rest, preventing your biscuits from being tough
- Don't overwork your biscuit dough when bringing it together or rolling it out. Overworking will result in a tough biscuit
- As per the tip above, be clever when stamping out your biscuits in order to prevent having to re-roll your dough out too many times. Pre-plan where your cutter will be go each time, in order to optimise the surface area of the dough
- Spare biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Make sure it is truly airtight to prevent the biscuits from softening
- You can freeze unbaked dough, wrapped in clingfilm, for up to one month. Defrost overnight in fridge and complete recipe
You can make plenty of things with gingerbread since it's very sturdy once baked. So, once you have perfected the recipe below, get creative with our other gingerbread recipes and build your own 3D constructions. Follow our template and guide to a gingerbread wreath, our Alpine Christmas cake, or draw up your own template to construct your favourite landscape!
Here's our foolproof gingerbread cookie recipe ready for the snuggly season ahead!
Ingredients for gingerbread
- 75g unsalted butter
- 100g light brown soft sugar
- 100g golden syrup
- 225g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 2tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 8cm gingerbread man cutter
- Coloured icing pens
How to make gingerbread biscuits:
- In a small pan, heat the butter, sugar and golden syrup over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool for 5min.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Make a well in the centre and pour in the butter mixture. Stir to combine. Using your hands, bring together to form a soft dough and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap and chill for 15min to firm up slightly.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 3mm thick. Using the gingerbread man cutter, stamp out shapes, re-rolling trimmings as needed. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. You should have about 20 biscuits. Chill for 30min.
- Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Bake the biscuits for 10min, or until sandy to the touch. Leave to cool for 5min on the sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate with icing pens and serve.
Per serving:
- Calories: 96
- Protein: 1g
- Total fat: 2g
- Saturates: 1g
- Carbs: 18g
- Total sugars: 9g
- Fibre: 0g
Gingerbread biscuit recipes to try
If you would like to make a gingerbread house this gingerbread recipe is simple to assemble using our gingerbread house template which you can download. Or try this spooky gingerbread Haunted House around Halloween time! You can then decorate it however you like.
GINGERBREAD HOUSE RECIPE
We also love these gingerbread wreaths. This recipe is enough to make a batch of gingerbread dough large enough for two wreaths. So you can keep on for yourself and give the other to a friend as a thought homemade Christmas gift.
GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS WREATH
A great Christmas activity for kids is our gingerbread advent mobile. This is an advent calendar in mobile form, iced with numbers counting down the days to Christmas.
GINGERBREAD ADVENT MOBILE
These are our favourite Christmas biscuit recipes
FAQs
The Gingerbread man is one of England's most frequently used Christmas decorations. Its creation is attributed to Queen Elizabeth !, who is thought to have served the gingerbread figurines to visiting dignitaries. Lebkuchen, the German gingerbread, is likely to be the oldest Christmas gingerbread cookie.
What is the significance of gingerbread at Christmas? ›
In the late 17th century, gingerbread became associated with Christmas. Russian bakers prepared gingerbread men and women, usually as replicas of those people attending parties. Gingerbread houses were introduced about 200 years later, when the Grimm brothers wrote Hansel and Gretel. A new holiday tradition was born.
Should I use light or dark brown sugar for gingerbread? ›
Taste is obvious: sweets made with dark brown sugar will have a slightly deeper flavor with those notes of caramel and toffee I mentioned. That's why I only use dark brown sugar when making gingerbread; but depending on the recipe, you may not even notice a difference.
Is gingerbread just for Christmas? ›
Gingerbread makes the perfect year round gift
They certainly make a lovely edible gift for family and friends as they can be decorated so individually and beautifully with icing, sweets and ribbons making them almost too good to eat.
What is the solution in The Gingerbread Man? ›
Resolution a firm decision to do or not to do something. The Resolution of the story the gingerbread man is when the fox eats the gingerbread man.
What is the moral of the story The Gingerbread Man? ›
Moral Of The Story
The gingerbread man was very confident that he could run fast and escape from everyone. However, he was proved wrong when the sly fox caught him. Secondly, “we should never trust anyone blindly”. The gingerbread man believed the fox offered him and was not at all tempted to eat him.
What country invented gingerbread? ›
According to Rhonda Massingham Hart's Making Gingerbread Houses, the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC.
Where did gingerbread come from for Christmas? ›
In the 16th century, Germans began making cookie-walled houses around the same time “Hansel and Gretel” was published, PBS said. The story, written by the Brothers Grimm, concerned two young children get lost in a forest before finding a witch with a house made of gingerbread.
What type of molasses is best for gingerbread cookies? ›
Choose unsulfured molasses when possible, since sulfur dioxide can leave an unpleasant, chemical-like aftertaste, according to Smith. “Unsulfured molasses is derived from processed mature sugar cane,” she said. “It's rich in flavor with a smoky depth.
Can I use golden syrup instead of molasses? ›
Golden Syrup
With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.
What is this? Maple Syrup Cookies are very similar to gingerbread cookies, except I replace the molasses with maple syrup and honey. The result is a soft texture with a lighter ginger maple flavor. Honestly, I prefer a softer gingerbread to a crispier one.
How many days before Christmas should you make a gingerbread house? ›
3 days before: Make the dough. 2 days before: Bake the pieces; let cool. 1 day before: Assemble the house and let the icing mortar set.
Is gingerbread fall or winter? ›
Even though gingerbread is usually associated with fall and winter, I bake it all year long. I love to sandwich dulce de leche icecream between 2 cookies in the summer! Decorating these cookies makes me feel like a real artist and the method is simple and fairly idiot proof.
How was gingerbread made originally? ›
Another key difference from modern-day gingerbread is that the medieval variety is made with honey and breadcrumbs. These were mixed with saffron and pepper to form a stiff paste which was formed into a square, sprinkled with cinnamon and decorated with box leaves secured with cloves.
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar in gingerbread? ›
Caption Options. While light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable, they're not exact substitutes. Using dark brown sugar when a recipe calls for light will give your final product a more robust taste and a darker color, and it might slightly affect the texture.
Can you use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar in gingerbread cookies? ›
You can use either light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown will add a stronger flavor, so just keep that in mind. Molasses. This is an essential gingerbread ingredient!
Should I use light or dark brown sugar for baking? ›
Can you substitute dark brown sugar for light brown sugar? In general, yes, the sugars are interchangeable in most recipes. Especially in most standard baking recipes that call for a mix of sugars like cookies and/or when brown sugar isn't the star ingredient for flavor, you can use one versus the other.
Should I use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar? ›
When a recipe calls for "brown sugar," it is usually referring to light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar should be used only when specified. This is important when baking recipes sensitive to moisture and density (such as cakes) because of the difference in moisture content between the two types of brown sugar.
