In our house, gingerbread season isn’t limited to Christmas! It starts the moment someone says, “Should we make a batch?” and suddenly the oven’s on and the kids are pulling out the cutters. These little biscuits are a tradition we cook on repeat, year after year. They fill the kitchen with that buttery-spiced smell that instantly feels like home, and every time we make them, they disappear almost as quickly as they come out of the oven. Loved by little hands, big hands, and anyone lucky enough to wander through the kitchen at the right moment! This is one of our most-requested recipes, and we’re so happy to share it with you. This is our double batch recipe!! Cause one batch is never enough - but you can halve it if you want!!
Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
3 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250g unsalted butter, chopped
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups (335g) plain flour - this also works with a GF plain flour.
You will also need:
Cookie Cutters
Icing Sugar for Icing
Food Colouring if you want to colour the icing
Any decorative toppings!
Instructions:
1. Warm the oven, warm the home.
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Your kitchen is about to smell amazing. Line two trays with baking paper.
2. Make the magic base.
In a small heatproof bowl, mix the golden syrup, sugar and spices. Sit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until everything melts together. When the sugar dissolves, add the bicarb soda and watch it bubble like a little science experiment. Remove from heat.
3. Melt + mix.
Pour your warm syrup mixture into a larger bowl and stir through the chopped butter until it melts in.
4. Bring it all together.
Add the eggs and 2 cups of sifted flour. Stir with a butter knife (just like Grandma used to). Add the rest of the flour and keep mixing until a soft dough forms.
5. A little rest.
Turn the dough onto a floured bench and give it a gentle knead until smooth. Divide into two, wrap each half in cling wrap, and pop them into the fridge for 30 minutes. (Perfect tea break time.)
6. Roll + cut.
Roll each portion between two sheets of baking paper until about 5mm thick. If you like them thicker then roll to 1cm. Grab your favourite cutters and press out all the little festive shapes your heart desires. Place on trays and bake for about 10 mins. Smaller shapes will cook faster, so keep an eye on them. Thicker shapes might take a few more minutes too.
7. Cool + decorate.
Let them cool completely before decorating… if they last that long. Otherwise, store in an airtight container for gifting, nibbling or saving for Santa.
To make icing...
You will need
1 cup icing sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons of milk
Food colouring as desired (add and mix until desired colour)
Sift icing sugar so there are no lumps. Add milk in slowly and mix until consistency is achieved. You don't want it too runny. Add drops of food dye until you achieve the colour you want. We pay a little extra and use natural food dyes.
Our boys love making these...
These gingerbread biscuits always remind us why we love cooking together, it’s never just about the recipe, it’s about the moments made around it. If you’d like to keep this family favourite close (and pass it down for generations to come), it’s a perfect one to write into yourRecipe Journal. Ours is filled with splashes, scribbles, little notes from the kids… all the beautiful signs of a recipe well-loved. We hope this one finds a happy home in your kitchen and maybe in your heirloom recipe collection too.
Shop our Recipe Journal Collection HERE.