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 were the ingredients in the first gingerbread? ›
An early European gingerbread recipe involved making a paste of stale breadcrumbs, ground almonds, rosewater, sugar, and ginger. English recipes of the 16th century replaced the stale breadcrumbs with flour and added honey for a sweeter taste and lighter feel.
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 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.
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 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 is gingerbread from? ›
The first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece around 2400 BCE. As recipes for these ginger cookies spread around the world, the designs of the cookies changed as well. Many cookies were shaped like animals or royal figures during medieval fairs.
What country was gingerbread created in? ›
Gingerbread, as we know it today, descends from Medieval European culinary traditions. Gingerbread was also shaped into different forms by monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm and 1395 in Nuremberg.
What is an interesting fact about gingerbread? ›
Originally gingerbread was made with honey and breadcrumbs
One of the earliest English recipes for gingerbread, written down in the fifteenth century, didn't actually contain any ginger! Instead bread crumbs or 'gratyd brede' were mixed with boiled honey and formed into a stiff paste with saffron and pepper.
Surprising benefits
Research shows it may aid in digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the common cold and flu. It's also believed ginger may support weight management, help manage arthritis and may also alleviate menstrual symptoms. Molasses is another ingredient sometimes found in gingerbread.
What is Victorian gingerbread? ›
gingerbread, in architecture and design, elaborately detailed embellishment, either lavish or superfluous. Although the term is occasionally applied to highly detailed and decorative styles, it is more often applied specifically to the work of American designers of the late 1860s and '70s.
Why was gingerbread illegal? ›
A fear that gingerbread men could be the agents of the devil also spread throughout Europe. In 1607, the superstitious magistrates of Delft in the Netherlands made it illegal to either bake or eat any of these molded and spiced cookies. This was also a time of religious upheaval.
When to eat gingerbread for men? ›
The habit of eating gingerbread cookies during Christmas soon became a staple as many saw them as unique gifts. Many also decorated their Christmas trees with gingerbread men or houses, leading to an increase in their popularity.
Who made gingerbread popular? ›
Houses made of gingerbread may have been inspired in the early 1800s by the Brothers Grimm, who wrote about a witch's cottage made of candy and cookies in "Hansel and Gretel." Waves of immigrants brought gingerbread to America (George Washington's mother is credited with one recipe), and the houses became particularly ...
What is the world's most expensive gingerbread? ›
The world's most expensive gingerbread house has been created, adorned with diamonds valued at a staggering £6 million. Created by renowned designer Debbie Wingham, the cake was created for a private client who is planning to propose over the festive season. leaving the page.
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.
What is the best English gingerbread? ›
Voted the best biscuit in the world. Grasmere Gingerbread® is a spicy-sweet taste sensation. Invented in 1854, this iconic British biscuit is baked fresh every day inside a historic cottage in the Lake District.
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 ...
