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.
Why are my gingerbread men spreading? ›
If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.
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.
What does "gingerbread" mean in slang? ›
slang. Money. Also in †to have the gingerbread (obsolete)…
What does The Gingerbread Man symbolize? ›
Long before it became a holiday treat, gingerbread was a royal favorite, a token of fertility, and a tool for witches to exact their vengeance. The pudgy gingerbread man with his candy eyes and icing smile has a sinister backstory—a link to death and the demonic.
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.
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 story behind gingerbread? ›
It is believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th century, when returning crusaders brought back the custom of spicy bread from the Middle East. Ginger was not only tasty it had properties that helped preserve the bread.
What happens if a gingerbread man gets wet? ›
Haugh's Kindergarten students worked like scientists to predict what would happen if the Gingerbread Man did get wet, then conducted an experiment and reached conclusions based on their results. They learned that cookies get soggy in water and fall apart!
Yes! Although gingerbread men are most delicious when they're fresh, you can freeze the baked gingerbread men for a few months in an air-tight container. Or, you can keep the cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for a week, or in the fridge for two weeks.
What animal eats the gingerbread man? ›
The tale ends with a fox catching and eating the gingerbread man who cries as he is devoured, "I'm quarter gone... I'm half gone... I'm three-quarters gone... I'm all gone!"
What is the best gingerbread in the world? ›
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop | The World's Best Gingerbread. Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name.
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.
Is The Gingerbread Man a fox or wolf? ›
"A freshly bake gingerbread man escapes when he is taken out of the oven and eludes a number of pursuers until he meets a clever fox." "A freshly baked gingerbread man escapes when he is taken out of the oven and eludes a number of animals until he meets a clever fox."
Where did gingerbread come from for Christmas? ›
Historians agree that gingerbread houses originated in Germany. But to really get to the root of the matter, you'll have to go back about 5,000 years to China ,when the ginger root was discovered. According to Food Network, the ginger root was first used for medicinal purposes, and it still is today.
