The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (2024)

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 TeamUpdated: 27 October 2023

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.

These are our favourite Christmas biscuit recipes

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The only gingerbread recipe you need this Christmas (2024)

FAQs

What is the gingerbread man at Christmas? ›

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.

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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.

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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.

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What is the connection between gingerbread house and Christmas? ›

It is thought that gingerbread houses morphed from functional and for professionals only to a common Christmas decoration after Grimm's fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” became popular. The sibling pair are lost and hungry in the woods and stumble across an edible house.

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What is the solution in the gingerbread man? ›

Resolution a firm decision to do or not to do something. The Resolution of the story the gingerbread man is when the fox eats the gingerbread man.

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What is the moral of the story of the gingerbread man? ›

Moral Of The Story

The gingerbread man was very confident that he could run fast and escape from everyone. However, he was proved wrong when the sly fox caught him. Secondly, “we should never trust anyone blindly”. The gingerbread man believed the fox offered him and was not at all tempted to eat him.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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What flavor goes best with gingerbread? ›

If you don't love the flavor of coffee, there are so many other flavor options to pair with gingerbread: lemon, white chocolate, caramel, chocolate – to name a few.