Every year around Christmas time, my husband enjoys a few Gingerbread Cookies. I’ve been meaning to try and make him some for a few years now. This year is finally the year!
Here is my easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipe to bring some joy to your household too!
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- saucepan
- bowl
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup White sugar
- 1/4 cup Golden Syrup or a dark brown sugar like Rapadura works too
- 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
- 1 Egg
- 11/2 cups Gluten Free Self Raising Flour or Plain Flour or Potato Starch works too
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 TBS Butter (For Frosting)
- 1 cup Icing Sugar (For Frosting)
- 1 tsp Water (For Frosting)
Instructions
- In a small heatproof bowl, combine the golden syrup, sugar and spices and place over a saucepan of simmering water. When the sugar has dissolved, stir through the bicarb soda and remove from the heat when the mixture begins to bubble.
- Stir through the chopped butter.
- Add the egg and sifted flour and combine. Continue to mix until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a floured bench and lightly knead to bring it together.
- IF MAKING WHOLE BATCH...
- Now at this point if you are going to make the whole batch, you would divide it in two and cover with cling wrap and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- After 20 minutes preheat your oven to 180 C (360F) and line a tray with baking paper.
- Remove dough from the fridge and roll each portion between two sheets of baking paper until approximately 5mm thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on baking tray.
- Bake for approximately 10 – 12 minutes.
- Allow the gingerbread to completely cool before decorating.
- IF NOT MAKING WHOLE BATCH AT ONCE...
- NOW I don’t cook the whole batch as my husband is the only one who eats these, so once the dough is on the floured board and is in one ball, take small pieces of it— say a teaspoon size and roll it into balls in your hands.
- In a large plastic lunch box type container make one layer of the balls. Then place baking paper on top and keep going until the dough is finished.
- Leave four of them out to cook.
- Pop the plastic container in the freezer with the rest to cook another day.
- So with the 4 you are going to cook straight away. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Line a tray with cooking paper and cut a 10cm square of paper.
- After 20 minutes preheat your oven to 180 C (360F)
- Because I hate the whole rolling the dough thing, this is far quicker and easier for the small batches.
- Pop the 4 balls on the lined tray. Place the square of paper over a ball and using a flat bottomed glass, press the cookie down to flatten. Repeat for the other 3.
- Cook at 180C (360F) for 12 minutes until just browned. Pull out of oven and allow to cool before icing.
- FROSTING METHOD
- You can either melt the butter or just leave it out on the bench to soften a little. Add the icing sugar and mix thoroughly into a paste.
- Add only little bits of water, say by the teaspoon full to get to the consistency you would like. You’re after smooth but still fairly firm and not too runny.
- If you have a piping kit then go for your life.
- Otherwise just put the icing into the middle of a square piece of cling wrap, grab all the corners and twist it so you have a makeshift pipe, then poke a hole in the bottom and squeeze to make the swirly shapes. It’s a bit rough and ready, but better than just putting it on with a knife.
Now for my Ray Peat purists, yes this Gingerbread Cookie Recipe includes starch. You really can’t make a cookie without it. Just remember though, when you mix starch and sugar together, it helps the body process it better than starch alone. Also the butter assists with reducing any starch damage.
No we wouldn’t include these in our regular diet for optimal health or weight loss purposes but as a special occasion once or twice a year, I’m having some!
Don’t be intimidated by the long instruction list, this Gingerbread Cookie Recipe is actually easy to make. (Find more recipes on my Pinterest page here.)
I don’t cook unless it’s easy!
The best part is that that dough is freezer friendly. So any time a family member feels like some Gingerbread Cookies, you just take them out, squash flat and bake for 10 minutes.
I usually keep some of the frosting from this Gingerbread Cookie Recipe made up in the fridge too, in the plastic wrap. So again it’s easy to frost in minutes.
As my husband says, “these are so much better than the store bought ones!”
Happy festive season to all.
Kristy x
NB: So my whole diet focus is on a relaxed way to get your metabolic rate firing and balance your hormones. All of us in our 40s, 50s and 60s messed around with out diet trying Keto, Intermittent Fasting, Veganism, Carnivore. Low Calorie and all kinds of damaging diets that caused Hormonal Damage. Get back to your youthful fast metabolism body, just like when you were a kid.
Here’s a great place to start…
