Gingerbread cookies recipe
These sweetly spiced gingerbread cookies are easy to make and can be presented in all manner of different ways. The recipe suggests using gingerbread men cutters, but stars, baubles and Christmas trees would all be lovely, too, as would the addition of edible glitter, sweets and shimmering sprinkles.
Just the thing for enjoying with a cup of tea, these biscuits also make lovely homemade gifts. Alternatively, turn them into edible Christmas decorations by pushing a straw through the top of the shapes to make a hole while they’re still warm from the oven. Once they've been decorated and the icing has dried, thread with string or ribbon, hang from the tree – and try not to eat them all before the big day.
Things to note:
This recipe calls for a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, but you could certainly use a sieve to combine the dry ingredients and make the dough with an electric mixer or even by hand. The royal icing can also be prepared by hand.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
- 360 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 225 g unsalted butter
- 300 g soft brown sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 0.2 tsp fine salt
- 12.7 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 7.9 oz unsalted butter
- 10.6 oz soft brown sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 0.2 tsp fine salt
- 12.7 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 7.9 oz unsalted butter
- 10.6 oz soft brown sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 0.2 tsp fine salt
- 80 g egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 225 g icing sugar
- 2.8 oz egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 7.9 oz icing sugar
- 2.8 oz egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 7.9 oz powdered sugar
Details
- Cuisine: Festive
- Recipe Type: Baking
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 16
Step-by-step
- Connect the sifter and scale attachment to your KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a bowl on speed 4 and set aside.
- Put the butter and soft brown sugar in a separate Stand Mixer bowl. Attach the flat beater and mix on speed 4 until well-combined and light in colour.
- Reduce to speed 2 and add the egg and salt, scraping down any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- With the beater still running, gradually add the sifted flour until a dough forms. Form into a ball and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Place the dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm (plastic wrap) and roll out to a thickness of 0.5 cm (0.19 in). Return to the fridge for 20 minutes more.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 and line 2 large baking trays (baking sheets) with baking paper (baking parchment).
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, discarding the cling film (plastic wrap).
- Stamp out the gingerbread men (or other festive shapes) with a cutter, then re-roll any off-cuts and repeat.
- Arrange the gingerbread shapes on the prepared baking trays (baking sheets), allowing space for them to spread while cooking.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. When ready, the cookies should look dry but be soft when touched. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- To make the royal icing, put the egg whites in a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer fitted with the flat beater. Mix on speed 6 until frothy.
- Add the lemon juice, then gradually add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) until the mixture is thick yet spreadable.
- Transfer to a piping bag and use to decorate the gingerbread cookies.
Adapted from a recipe supplied by KitchenAid. Image courtesy KitchenAid.
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