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
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.
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.
What makes gingerbread taste like gingerbread? ›
Spices give any gingerbread its delicious aroma and memorable taste. Ginger is the spice you will find in every gingerbread recipe. It comes from the knobby rhizome of a tropical plant and has a peppery zing and spicy scent.
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 are the three types of gingerbread? ›
The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
- BROWN GINGERBREAD.
- WAFER GINGERBREAD.
- HONEY GINGERBREAD.
What town is famous for gingerbread? ›
One hundred years later, the town of Market Drayton in Shropshire became known for its gingerbread, as is displayed on their town's welcome sign, stating that it is the "home of gingerbread".
What is the dark history of gingerbread? ›
Superstitions about gingerbread flourished in the 17th century. Witches supposedly made gingerbread figures, ate them, and thereby caused the death of their enemies. Dutch magistrates went so far as to declare baking or eating molded cookies illegal.
What is gingerbread in German Christmas traditions? ›
Lebkuchen - pronounced LAYB-kue-chn - and sometimes called Pfefferkuchen is a German baked Christmas treat somewhat resembling gingerbread. Soft, moist and nutty German gingerbread was invented by medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century.
What country did gingerbread come from? ›
Food historians trace the origins of gingerbread back to the ancient Egyptians, who used it for ceremonial purposes. The ancient Greeks followed suit with the first known recipe for gingerbread around 2400 B.C.
Can I use golden syrup instead of molasses? ›
Golden syrup, also known as "light treacle," is made from the evaporation of sugarcane, which creates a light, golden syrup very reminiscent of honey. Lyle's is a popular brand of golden syrup. Try using 1 cup golden syrup for every 1 cup molasses in a recipe.
1 tablespoon (7g) ground cloves (Do not omit no matter what! This is a crucial ingredient to the classic gingerbread flavor.)
Should gingerbread be soft or crunchy? ›
Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!
What can replace molasses? ›
- Honey. Generally speaking, honey is very sweet, floral in flavor, and golden in color. ...
- Sorghum. Sorghum is sometimes known as sorghum molasses, which tells you how similar these syrups are. ...
- Maple Syrup. ...
- Dark Corn Syrup. ...
- Golden Syrup. ...
- Brown Sugar. ...
- Simple Syrup. ...
- Black Treacle.
Is turbinado sugar the same as brown sugar? ›
Turbinado Sugar is a type of Brown Sugar, but not the same as what you're probably used to.
What plant does molasses come from? ›
It is a byproduct of the sugar-making process, and it comes from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets. First, manufacturers crush sugar cane or sugar beets to extract the juice. They then boil down the juice to form sugar crystals. Molasses is the thick, brown syrup left over after they remove the crystals from the juice.
What is the world's most expensive gingerbread? ›
A British food artist has created the world's most expensive gingerbread house worth £6.3 million and decorated with diamonds. Debbie Wingham, 41, made the Dolce & Gabbana-inspired gingerbread creation from 15kg of flour and 17kg of sugar.
What is the gingerbread capital of the world? ›
Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread. Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs.
Which country eats the most gingerbread? ›
In 2018, the highest levels of gingerbread per capita consumption was registered in the Netherlands (2,361 kg per 1000 persons), followed by Germany (886 kg per 1000 persons), Belgium (799 kg per 1000 persons) and Spain (748 kg per 1000 persons), while the world average per capita consumption of gingerbread was ...
What city is known for gingerbread? ›
TORUN, Poland — This medieval city on the banks of the Vistula River is known for two things: astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and gingerbread cookies.