1. Serves 4
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2. Baking Recipes
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3. Gingerbread Cookies

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

Here's what you'll need to make gingerbread cookies:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

375g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
170g butter, cut into chunks
100g light muscovado sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp black treacle
1 tsp vanilla extract

And here's what you'll need to do:

• Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices into either the bowl of your food processor or a large mixing bowl and prepare the butter.

• Add the butter chunks, and either pulse gently in the food processor or use a knife and fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it starts to resemble breadcrumbs.

• Then add the sugar, stir, and add the orange zest, stirring again until everything is well combined.

• In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, black treacle and vanilla extract. Add it to the food processor or mixing bowl, and either pulse or stir continuously in one direction, until the mixture starts to come together in clumps.

• Remove the dough from the food processor or mixing bowl, and knead on a floured  surface for a few minutes until smooth and uniform.You should have about 750g of raw dough.

• Divide the dough into two equal portions, shaping each into a flat disc, and wrap tightly in cling film. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before rolling. (Tip: You can make the dough in advance and store in the fridge for up to a week until needed or the in freezer (doubled wrapped and in a tightly sealed bag) for up to three months. Just let the dough warm to a soft enough consistency before kneading, rolling and cutting your shapes.)

• If you're cutting shapes and baking straight away, preheat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Otherwise, preheat the oven before you intend to bake.
• Roll out the dough onto a flat floured surface. (Tip: Roll it out directly onto the parchment that you will be using for baking, this way you don't have to transfer the cut shapes and risk damaging them before they've even been baked!)

• Cut out your gingerbread shapes, and gather together the excess dough, knead, roll and cut more shapes until all the dough has been used. If you find your dough warming up too much between rollings, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

• (Tip: To save time and make gingerbread cookies fresh for when you need them, cut all your shapes ahead of time, freeze and transfer them to a tightly sealed container. Thaw on a lined baking sheet before baking.)
  

• Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes until golden, and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

• Make up a batch of royal icing, tinting as desired, to decorate your gingerbread cookies.

• If you'll be assembling gingerbread houses, use the royal icing as the 'glue' to hold the different bits together.

 

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