Makes 24 (depending on size of cutter)
This gingerbread recipe is quick, easy and all kinds of delicious.
When I was a kid, I hated all things ginger, even gingerbread! Can you believe?! Now I can’t get enough of it. I think it was the Ginger Nut biscuits we had growing up that put me off – they were all dry and crunchy with an overpowering taste of faux ginger. These days, I’m much more open to ginger cookies and cakes, although I will confess they’re not my favourite. However, I do make an exception for gingerbread, because unlike those dry, crunchy ginger biscuits of my youth, these babies are almost cake like and so moreish.
There are three things I really like about this recipe. One is that there’s none of this waiting for the butter to get soft enough business, you just melt and mix, and two is that the ginger taste is oh, so subtle. And if all that’s not fabulous enough, you can store the dough and the cooked gingerbread biscuits in the freezer! The uncooked dough can be stashed for up to 3 months in the freezer and a week in the fridge.
This recipe is super easy – the trick is to not overbake these babies, otherwise they’ll be way too crisp and crunchy and not almost chewy just how we like them. Once the edges are lightly brown, take them out of the oven. If you touch the biscuits, they’ll be a bit soft but will spring back when they’re ready. Don’t worry about them not being cooked because they’ll harden as they cool. It’s like ginger science!
Of course, you can decorate these but I prefer them “naked” mainly because I have neither the skills nor the patience for all that. I am however very skilled at eating these!
Was there a food you used to hate that you love now? Can you decorate cookies like a boss?
Ingredients
125g butter
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup (175g) golden syrup
3 cups (450g) plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 180 C / 160 C fan-forced. Line 3 or 4 baking trays with baking paper.
- Heat the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small microwave-safe bowl, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) in a microwave oven for about 1 minute or until the butter has melted. Using oven mitts, remove bowl from microwave oven; cool the butter mixture for 5 minutes.
- Sift the combined flour, spices and soda into a large bowl. Add the butter mixture, egg and extract, stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Take care not to overwork the mixture.
- Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured silicone mat and knead into a smooth ball. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half, knead each portion of dough on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper. It needs to be about 5mm thick. Using your chosen cutter, cut out shapes. Place on oven trays, leaving space between each one.
- Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on trays.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan-forced. Line 3 or 4 baking trays with baking paper.
- Place flour, spices and bicarb in TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5. Set aside.
- Place the butter, sugar and golden syrup in TM bowl and cook for 5 minutes at 50 degrees on speed 2. Cool the butter mixture for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the gingerbread ingredients into TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6.
- Set the dial to the closed lid position and knead for 30 seconds on interval speed or until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured silicone mat and knead into a smooth ball. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half. Knead each portion of dough on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper. It needs to be about 5mm thick.
- Using your chosen cutter, cut out shapes. Place on oven trays, leaving space between each one.
- Bake cookies for about 10 minutes (cooking time will vary slightly, depending on the cutter used) or until golden brown. Cool on trays.
Other info
Prep and Cooking time: 50 minutes
TIP! The uniced cookies suitable to freeze. If the mixture in Step 3 is dry and crumbly, add a little more beaten egg –
just enough to make it feel like play dough.
