Just a few days to go now are you ready? Whenever I think of Christmas cookies, gingerbread men come to mind first.
Here is my favourite gingerbread men recipe! Soft in the centre, crisp on the edges, perfectly spiced. The cookies only take about 9-10 minutes in the oven, which produces a soft cookie with slightly crisp edges. Don’t be tempted to bake for longer, just trust me on this one. Cooking time is the secret to perfect gingerbread.
The gingerbread will puff up a little in the oven and turn in to chubby little men. As soon as they are out of the oven they will return back to normal size and will be lovely and chewy in the middle once cooled.
Now all that’s left to do is decorate your little heart out. We’re talking smiles, eyes, bow ties, buttons, squiggles, whatever goes.
What’s not to love about this recipe! That’s why it’s quickly become a family favorite. Decorated and given as presents or left plain and dunked in a cuppa, this recipe hits the spot .
Soft Gingerbread Cookies are perfect all year round and like i have said before i don’t reserve them for christmas. The smell of baking gingerbread has to be one of the best smells. Delicate, spicy-sweet flavors and fun shapes. This simple gingerbread recipe is really versatile and will produce perfect cookies every time.
Ingredients 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 125g/4½oz butter 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar 1 free-range large egg 4 tbsp golden syrup
To decorate writing icing cake decorations of your choice, let your creative side flow
To Make Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl Add the butter and using your fingertips blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the dry mixture and mix until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Roll the dough out to a ¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.
Enjoy :)