Gingerbread biscuits are one of my favourite Christmas treats. They keep extremely well and are loved by friends and family of all ages. I’ve been tinkering with my gingerbread recipe this year, and this one is, I think, my best ever. My original recipe is still very popular, and requires fewer ingredients, but these are my all-time favourite now. I haven’t bothered with icing biscuits this year, as I just haven’t had the time, but I think these are rather charming cut into Christmas tree shapes and sprinkled with a little icing sugar.
I wish you all a very, very Happy Christmas, and thank you for all your support this year.
- 200g dark brown soft sugar
- 500g plain flour, plus a little extra for the worksurface
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- Zest of an unwaxed lemon
- 200g butter
- 140g golden syrup
- 1 large egg, beaten
- The dough for the biscuits is quite stiff, so I recommend using a mixer to make the dough. It will speed things up no-end and will make life easier for you. I have used a Kitchen Aid, Kenwood and Magimix to make this dough, and all worked perfectly. If you don’t have a mixer, you’ll need to beat the ingredients together by hand for forma smooth, homogenous dough. Expect this to take at least 10 minutes.
- Whichever way you’re making your biscuits, start by placing the dry ingredients in a bowl and stirring to combine evenly. Then, add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients. Now add the syrup and egg and mix to form a smooth dough.
- Bring the dough together into a flat disc to allow the dough to chill evenly throughout, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Now, preheat the oven to 180C. Set aside at least three large non-stick trays.
- Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured worksurface. I think about 4-5mm is thick enough. Cut into shapes, place on the trays and bake for 12-16 minutes until very lightly coloured and they feel firm-ish to the touch. Remember they’ll firm up as they cool, so it’s OK to remove them from the oven whilst still soft.
- Cool on a wire rack, and either ice, or enjoy as they are.
I love gingerbread so will be definitely trying these out – they look lovely 🙂 Have a lovely Christmas, Charlotte 🙂
Thank you so much, Rachel. Happy New Year to you xx