Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
My Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe for soft and chewy gingerbread. Just the right amount of sugar and spice is the secret to these cookies. They are super cute as little gingerbread men but you can use any cookie cutter shapes!
I love baking cookies at Christmas time and one of my favourites are these easy gingerbread cookies because they not only taste great but are so much fun to make with the kids!
During the Christmas holidays you are likely to find me in the kitchen, cooking and baking with the kids. The classic Christmas carols turned up full blast.
The kids and I bake these cookies every Christmas to share with friends and we also leave a couple out for Santa and his reindeers. I love this special Christmas tradition.
Gingerbread are such a popular biscuit to bake for Christmas and it got me thinking how did this all come about. Turns out after asking my friend Google, Gingerbread basically means preserved ginger. Queen Elizabeth the first has been credited for gingerbread men as she had the idea to decorate gingerbread in the shape of the VIP’s who would visit her court. Gingerbread was said to be so sacred that the general public were only aloud to make it during Christmas and easter.
What you need to make Gingerbread Cookies
- Butter– Adds the rich creaminess to the cookies
- Maple syrup – is a natural sweetener from the sap of maple trees. The sap is then boiled to make pure maple syrup. In this recipe I have used Queen, pure Canadian maple syrup.
- Dark brown sugar– The darker the sugar the higher the molasses which gives it that deep toffee, caramel like flavour.
- 1 egg yolk – this will add chewiness to the cookies
- Plain flour – All purpose plain flour is fine for cookies
- bicarb soda– This helps to achieve deliciously soft cookies
- Ground, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves: Just the right amount of spices to get that traditional gingerbread taste. In the recipe I use 2tsp of ground ginger but you can use a little more if you want to up that spice in your cookies.
How to make Gingerbread Cookies
Step 1
Place the butter, maple syrup and sugar in small saucepan on low heat and stir until melted.
Step 2
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the egg yolk until It’s well combined
Step 3
In a bowl add the flour, baking soda and spices and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough starts to form. If you find the dough is too soft add a little more flour.
step 4
Roll the dough into a smooth ball, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This allows the dough to firm up.
step 5
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line 2 cookie trays with baking paper.
Step 6
Roll out the dough on a well floured work surface. A handy trick is to dust your rolling pin with a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place them on your prepared trays.
Step 7
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wired rack to cool.
How to make a simple icing for your cookies
Lets be honest, the best part about baking gingerbread cookies is getting to decorate them! You can make a simple icing requiring only 2 ingredients. Its too easy! All you need to do is combine icing sugar and water in a small bowl and stir until it forms a smooth paste (see my recipe below) Add the icing to a piping bag. If you don’t have the fancy piping bag don’t fear neither do I! Just use a sandwich size zip lock bag with the end corner snipped. In addition to the icing you can decorate with sprinkles and smarties.
Once the gingerbread has completely cooled, decorate with the icing. Allow the icing to set for at least 10 minutes before enjoying them!
Can you make the dough ahead of time
You sure can make the dough ahead of time. The cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you are ready to roll it out to allow it to soften.
How long do Gingerbread Cookies keep?
Store your gingerbread cookies in an airtight container and they will keep for up to 7 days. However for maximum softness and chewiness they are best enjoyed fresh. I bet they won’t make it to 7 days at your place anyways!
So there you have it, my easy gingerbread cookies recipe! I hope you will enjoy this recipe with your family for years to come.
Merry Christmas from Mrsfoodiemumma
You may also like these recipes:
- Cheats Christmas Trifle
- Christmas Tiramisu
- Mini salmon tarts
- Festive Rocky Road
- Refreshing berry punch with Prosecco
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 120 g butter chopped
- ½ cup Maple syrup
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 320 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarb soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
For the icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbs warm water
Instructions
- Place the butter, maple syrup and brown sugar in small saucepan on low heat and stir until melted. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, add the egg yolk and mix well until combined.
- In a bowl add the flour, baking soda and spices and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough starts to form.
- On a lightly floured work surface, kneed the dough for a few minutes until it comes together into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°Line 2 cookie trays with baking paper.
- Roll out the dough on a well floured work surface. Dust your rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and place on lined trays. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
For the icing
- Place the icing sugar and water in a small bowl and stir until it forms a smooth paste.
- Add the icing to a piping bag or zip lock bag with the end corner snipped.
- Once the gingerbread has completely cooled decorate with the icing. Allow the icing to set for at least 10 minutes before enjoying them!
Thanks for this recipe, would try it out soon. Let’s do a collaboration, by the way, inbox me
Sounds great!!
5 star recipe! Looks delicious and yummy! I need to try this for sure. Thanks a lot. Pinning it for future reference .
Thank you very much for the review Nilakshi 🙂