The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (2024)

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This gingerbread recipe is perfect to make with kids, and to eat with the rest of the family at Christmas or any time you fancy.

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery Team

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:

      1. 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.
      2. 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.
      3. 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.
      4. 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.
      5. 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.

        The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (4)

        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.

        The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (5)

        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.

        The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (6)

        GINGERBREAD ADVENT MOBILE

        These are our favourite Christmas biscuit recipes

        The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (7)

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        The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (2024)

        FAQs

        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.

        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 is the tradition of gingerbread houses at Christmas? ›

        Today, the ultimate Christmas gingerbread incarnation is of course the gingerbread house. It has been suggested that these edible structures originated in Germany between the 16th and 18th centuries. The trend for gingerbread houses must have spread to Britain at some point during the nineteenth century.

        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 famous German gingerbread? ›

        In Germany, when you think of Christmas, you think of Nuremberg Lebkuchen, the city's famous gingerbread. These sweet and spicy treats have been baked for more than 600 years and are loved by young and old alike.

        What are gingerbread men called now? ›

        Some bakeries are now calling gingerbread men by the gender neutral term “gingerbread people.” Do you agree with the change? - Quora. How can people be worried about this nonsense when millions of gingerbread babies are aborted each and every single day?

        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.

        What makes gingerbread taste like gingerbread? ›

        Spice Combinations

        Some other common spices used in gingerbread recipes are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and allspice. Cinnamon is available in ground form and in a stick. For baking, you should use ground cinnamon. Nutmeg adds a nutty, sweet spiciness to gingerbread.

        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 gingerbread in German Christmas traditions? ›

        This is a traditional Christmas treat, soft & chewy with many wonderful spices. Use your favourite cookie cutters to create an army of little men, a collection of hearts or a herd of reindeer! "Lebkuchen" (gingerbread) is also known as "Honigkuchen" (honeycake) in some parts of Germany.

        What is the fairy tale about gingerbread? ›

        In the 1875 St. Nicholas tale, a childless old woman bakes a gingerbread man, who leaps from her oven and runs away. The woman and her husband give chase, but are unable to catch him. The gingerbread man then outruns several farm workers, farm men, and farm animals.

        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 the religion of gingerbread? ›

        Gingerbread was an important part of pagan religious ceremonies which took place in the month of December. Before this time, since the Christian Church had never set a date for the birth of Christ, the decision was made to set it at December 25th so pagan and Christmas celebrations could take place at the same time.

        Can you eat a gingerbread house? ›

        “Edible” is a loose term, apparently. A gingerbread house is about as edible as play-dough—you can eat it, but should you? These houses are usually left out for days (more on that later), drying out and crusting over.

        What is the world's most expensive gingerbread? ›

        World's most expensive diamond-studded gingerbread house is inspired by Dolce & Gabbana. 6.3 million, with diamonds studded in it. Scroll down to read the details. As per reports, the designer and food artist dedicated over two weeks to meticulously studying high-cost houses, capturing their details with precision.

        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.

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