Gingerbread biscuit recipes are a favourite come Christmas time. It has a delicious spiced flavour and is packed with sweetness.
For me, Christmas always makes me think of sweets - and biscuits (or cookies for my North American friends) are normally the first to come to mind. Especially gingerbread cookies! And although I'm not great at decorating them, the flavour of the gingerbread is still DELISH!!
If you're not a fan of gingerbread, then you should try out my Sugar Cookies!
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Gingerbread cookie ingredients
It seems that everyone and their dog has a gingerbread recipe that they love. And they can be adjusted depending how much of the molasses flavour you like, or if you're a fan of the ginger and cinnamon.
I have included the full amounts in the recipe below, but here are a few key ingredients to gingerbread biscuits to help you adjust to suit your personal taste buds!
Molasses. The molasses helps bring out the deep, rich, caramel gingerbread flavour. It gives the cookies that TANG you know and love. If you're not the biggest fan, reduce the amount or replace with golden syrup. It also makes the dough very sticky which helps them hold their shape.
Spices. The heart and soul of the cookies and gives them stunning depth of flavour. These can easily be adjusted to your preferences.
Brown sugar. The brown sugar helps give the cookies a deeper flavour of caramel and toffee which is why I use brown sugar for gingerbread cookies. If you want a more subtle flavour, or if you're in a pinch, substitute with white sugar.
How to make gingerbread biscuits
Gingerbread cookies come together similar to Sugar Cookies. I usually make them simultaneously so they can all chill together in the fridge (Is anyone picturing little gingerbread men and shaped sugar cookies just dancing away in the fridge? Just me? Alright...)
- Cream butter and sugar
Add (room temperature) and brown sugar to a large bowl (you could use white sugar, but the brown sugar provides extra depth of taste in the gingerbread). Beat using a hand mixer or bench mixer until the mixture is creamy (approx. 2 minutes). Add egg, vanilla extract and molasses. Beat again.
Many recipes recommend the use of a stand mixer, but I don't have one. Instead, I prepare my gingerbread cookies without a stand mixer, opting for a hand mixer that my mom has had since my childhood. It has never let me down! - Dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, blend the dry ingredients (flour, spices salt, baking powder). Combine the wet ingredients with the dry mixture using a wooden spoon. Complete the process by using your hands to shape the dough into a ball and then place it on a lightly floured countertop (or on a non-slip baking mat). It will be quite sticky!
- Roll then chill
Use a rolling pin or an adjustable rolling pin and roll out the dough to 1cm thickness.
Place on a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days). - Shape
Remove the gingerbread dough from fridge and add to a lightly floured benchtop and re-roll dough to desired thickness. You can make gingerbread cookies thick or thin, you can make gingerbread house shapes to piece together (here is a stencil you can buy to use). Some of my other favourite cookie cutters for gingerbread cookies include:
- Bake and cool
Add cookies to a lined baking tray, or a silicone baking mat (highly recommend, they're fantastic for cookies) and bake for 10-15 minutes @175C (depending on thickness). Let cool for another 15 minutes as this will help the centre harden. Let cool completely before icing or putting together your gingerbread house.
Decorate gingerbread biscuits
Decorating gingerbread with icing or making gingerbread houses, or even just having your gingerbread plain (or eating them out of the oven like I do), there's something for everyone!
Cookie icing is ideal for beginners and uses icing sugar mixed with slightly melted butter, vanilla extract and water for consistency. I've included the recipe in the recipe card for you!
You can use piping bags with different tips to make really stunning designs, or you can do the old sandwich bag with a small nick cut out of it in the corner (small is best for designs, slightly larger is better if you're looking to construct a gingerbread house with the icing).
Tint with your choice of food colouring, or even add some Christmas sprinkles if you're feeling fancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both gingerbread cookies and gingerbread dough can be frozen for up to three months.
For your gingerbread cookies, let the icing set completely in the fridge before placing them in the freezer. Add to an airtight container or silicone bag to freeze for up to three months.
For your gingerbread dough, separate the dough into multiple balls, flatten as you normally would before chilling them, then freeze flat in cling wrap. To thaw the dough, bring to room temperature for about an hour before rolling out again and refrigerating.
Unsulphured molasses (dark or original) can be used for gingerbread cookies. The molasses helps bring out the deep, rich, caramel gingerbread flavour. It also makes the dough very sticky which helps them hold their shape.
You can substitute molasses for golden syrup or honey. However, the cookies may spread out more in the oven as it is less sticky than molasses which helps the gingerbread hold its shape.
Do you want more Christmas Recipes?
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It's your one-stop-shop for mains, sides and desserts
You can download this my Christmas Recipe E-Book to have the recipes on hand at all times!!
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Recipe
Easy Gingerbread Biscuit Recipe with Icing
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Ingredients
Cookies
- ⅔ cup Butter, room temperature (See Note 1)
- ¾ cup Brown sugar , packed (See Note 2)
- ⅔ cup Unsulphured molasses, See Note 3
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 ½ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ground ginger, See Note 4
- 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon, See Note 4
- ½ teaspoon Allspice, See Note 4
- ½ teaspoon Ground cloves, See Note 4
Icing
- 350 g icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter, slightly melted
- Water, for consistency
- Food colouring, optional
Instructions
Cookies
- Add room temperature butter and sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or bench mixer, combine until they're a creamy texture (approx. 2 minutes). Add egg, molasses and vanilla, and beat again.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, spices) in a separate bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Use your hands for the final part to form a dough ball and place on a lightly floured benchtop.
- Use a rolling pin and roll the dough until it's about 1cm thick. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
- Remove from fridge, re-roll dough to desired thickness and use your cookie cutters to shape.
- Add cookies to a lined baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes @175C (depending on thickness). Let cool for another 15 minutes as this will help the center harden.
Icing
- Wait for the cookies to cool before icing then combine icing sugar, vanilla extract, butter and food colouring together. Adjust consistency with water until it is as desired (add small amounts at a time)
- Spread on cookies (or dip the top of the cookie in).
- Refrigerate 4 hours until icing has cooled and hardened.
Notes
The molasses helps bring out the deep, rich, caramel gingerbread flavour. It gives the cookies that TANG you know and love. If you're not the biggest fan, reduce the amount or replace with golden syrup. It also makes the dough very sticky which helps them hold their shape. Note 4 (Spices)
The heart and soul of the cookies and gives them stunning depth of flavour. These can easily be adjusted to your preferences.
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