The best ever gingerbread cookies

A recipe for the best ever gingerbread cookies. Gingerbread biscuits that hold their shape when cooked & taste delicious.

The best ever gingerbread cookies

I know I know, another ‘best ever’ post but really, this really is the best gingerbread cookie recipe I’ve made in my 20 years of baking gingerbread.

I’ve been making the recipe for years and it has never failed me.

I also find it irresistible and so usually only make it for gifts.

On this particular occasion, I made some yellow and grey spotted gingerbread to give as little thank you gifts to all by baby shower guests.

  I love that the dough can be made in advance and frozen until you’re ready to bake it.

Just divide it in half, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap then pop it in a bag.

To me, it seems like much less effort when you can just pull the dough from the freezer, defrost, bake and decorate.

I made at least 3 batches over Christmas last year.

The dough is nice and gingery with the essential richness from the golden syrup and brown sugar.

You can bake them soft or firm and I’ve used the recipe to make a gingerbread house too (just bake it a little longer).

These are my little gifts all packaged up.

I thought the icing was totally dry when

I put them in the container ready to be packaged up the next day.

I thought wrong.

The grey, sadly, wasn’t all that grey.

My black gel colour made a lovely shade of grey but as the icing dried, it turned a shade of purple with ugly black specs through it.

I was not overly impressed.

What do you need to make the best gingerbread cookies

Biscuits

• Butter - the real stuff in the foil wrapper
• Golden syrup
• Brown sugar - here's how to make your own brown sugar
• Egg yolk - keep the white for the icing
• Ground ginger
• Mixed spice
• Bicarb-soda
• Self-raising flour, sifted - here's how to make your own self-raising flour with plain flour (or all purpose flour) 

Icing

• Icing sugar - here's how to make your own icing sugar (aka powdered or confectioner's sugar)
• Egg white

How to make gingerbread biscuits step-by-step

If you’re more of a visual person, here are the steps to make the best ever gingerbread.

The photos are a little old but that doesn’t make the cookies any less delicious.

STEP ONE – melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together.

STEP TWO – Stir it over the heat until it reaches a smooth consistency

STEP THREE – Once it’s all nicely combined, remove the mixture to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. 

If you’re impatient you can put the bowl in an ice water bath.

Alternatively you can use a stand mixer bowl.

STEP FOUR – Add the egg yolk and stir until combined.

This could be done using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. 

STEP FIVE – Mix in the spices.

STEP SIX – Sift in the flour a little at a time.

Mix it through until the dough comes together.

STEP EIGHT - Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it up then refrigerate for about an hour.

STEP NINE – Working with about ¼ of the dough at a time, roll it out to desired thickness. 

About an inch thickness is pretty perfect. 

Tip – Use a sheet of baking paper on the bench to save on cleaning up. 

Alternatively you can use a lightly floured surface.

STEP TEN – Cut out your shapes of choice using your favorite cookie cutters.

We can’t go past gingerbread men in our house. 

Make sure you bundle all the dough scraps into a ball and reroll them out. 

Or are you meant to call them gingerbread people now? I guess it depends how you decorate them! 

STEP ELEVEN – Transfer to prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a 180C/160C (350F/320F) fan-forced oven for 7-10 minutes depending on how you like them. 

I like slightly chewy gingbread cookies so tend to take them out as soon as they turn golden.

STEP TWELVE – When they’re ready, remove from the oven but leave them on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before moving the baked cookies to a cooling rack.

If you don’t leave them to rest they’ll likely break when moving them. We want a perfect cookie! 

While they’re cooling, it’s time to make the royal icing recipe.

You can use store-bought writing icing but I like the fresh stuff.

Plus it’s a good way to use up the egg white.

STEP THIRTEEN – Whip up the egg white until soft peaks form using a hand mixer or electric mixer then gradually whisk in 1 cup of icing sugar. Colour as desired.

Of course you can use a bowl and a hand whisk and good old muscle power. 

STEP FOURTEEN – Ice biscuits using the back of the spoon or a piping bag with a very small nozzle attached.

STEP FIFTEEN – Leave them to rest until the icing sets.

Excuse my unsteady circle-drawing hand.

To make the icing nice and smooth with the dots, I first piped a thick white border of icing and let it set.

Then I filled them with a thinner yellow and while the icing was still wet, dotted spots of white into the yellow then left them to set again.

I have to say I was a little bit sad when I counted them and realised I only just had enough for two for each guest.

There were none left for the mumma-to-be.

Not that it mattered, I ate my fair share of sweets at the baby shower as you might remember.

Use this recipe to make:

• Gingerbread house
• Gingerbread presents

What are the three types of gingerbread?

The three types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based and honey gingerbread. 

The most common, or the one you’ve probably had and seen most often is the brown gingerbread. That’s what this gingerbread recipe is and it’s what you’ll see gingerbread houses made of at Christmas time.

What is the best ingredient to keep gingerbread houses from falling apart?

There are two key factors that help a gingerbread house from falling apart. 

One is making sure your gingerbread is firm enough. Make sure you bake it long enough to fully firm up. 

The second is making sure your royal icing is nice and thick and holding the pieces in place until it sets. 

This can be done using cups, bowls or jars to hold the pieces up. 

If your royal icing is too thin, add a little icing sugar (powdered sugar) at a time to thicken it. 

Why do you put gingerbread dough in the fridge?

Refrigerating your gingerbread dough firms up the butter content of the dough and stops the shapes from spreading too much in the oven. 

If your shapes don’t hold when baked, it’s likely because the dough wasn’t cold enough when baked. If you’re working in a really hot kitchen, you can roll your dough, cut the shapes, put them on your prepared baking sheet and then refrigerate them a little longer to chill. 

Can you freeze gingerbread dough?

You sure can freeze gingerbread dough. 

Make the gingerbread cookie dough to the refrigeration stage and then double wrap discs of dough in plastic wrap and freeze. 

We like to make up a big batch, divide dough and freeze in portions to bake gingerbread men cookies throughout the December holiday season every year. 

How do you firm up gingerbread dough?

You can firm up dough by putting it in the fridge. Just make sure it is wrapped or in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. If you’re in a rush, you can put it in the freezer for a short time.

How long should gingerbread dough sit out before rolling?

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until just warm enough to roll out without cracking. This will vary depending on the weather and temperature in your kitchen but usually it’s about 10 minutes. 

If the dough has been chilled for longer than 3 hours or frozen, it may need a few more minutes.

How long does homemade gingerbread last?

Gingerbread lasts pretty well if kept in an airtight container. We would say up to a week (if you don’t eat it all first). 

How to tell when gingerbread is done?

The bake time will vary depending on if you want crunchy or soft gingerbread cookies. 

For soft, take it out as soon as it starts to firm and turn slightly golden. For firmer gingerbread, wait until it is fully golden. 

How sticky should gingerbread dough be?

The dough should be soft to touch but not dry or crumbly (shouldn’t fall apart). but not sticky. In other words, it shouldn’t stick to your fingers if you poke it. If your gingerbread dough is sticky, add a few tablespoons of flour and knead it in until it’s no longer sticky. 

How do you roll gingerbread dough evenly?

It’s best to use a rolling pin to roll gingerbread dough. Start in the middle and slowly roll the dough out. 

Pick it up and rotate it 90 degrees on the bench and repeat. Lifting it ensures it’s not sticking to the bench. 

If it sticks to the bench you’ll need to add more flour under your dough. 

What is the best thing to stick gingerbread together?

Use Royal icing to stick gingerbread together. It is like delicious edible cement.

It sets hard and tastes delicious. It will need to be quite thick to stick pieces together. 

Thicken it by adding icing sugar. 

What about you?

Are you a gingerbread fan?

Do you have a favourite recipe or do you like to try a new one each time (I hope so!)?

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Recipe