A failsafe gingerbread recipe

The first of many batches this winter
I came across this Delia Smith recipe at least 6-7 years ago and I’ve been making it religiously ever since. The moment autumn/winter sets in and the days grow cold, I’ll make at least 3 or 4 batches before Christmas because these are one of my husband’s favourite biscuits. He devours them and can easily chomp his way through about 5 of these babies each time he walks past the kitchen.
Plus I normally make extra batches and wrap them up in cellophane parcels to give to friends and family as Christmas presents – they always go down a treat!
It’s really the easiest gingerbread biscuit recipe you’ll ever find.
It’s dead simple, and stands up to such rough treatment that it’s perfect when you have kids over who want to play around in the kitchen.
I have adapted Delia’s recipe over the years, only because I like using more ginger and spice. You can find Delia’s original recipe here if you’d rather try that.
I use a number of different cookie cutters because I love having a variety of differently shaped biccies to munch my way through.
I always paint my gingerbread men and women but will keep the others aside to coat in icing fondant.
These biscuits are super crunchy and they keep really, really well. My husband loves these crunchy biscuits for dunking.
Just bear in mind that the cookies covered in fondant will become softer so if you like crunchy biscuits, don’t coat them.
The crisp white sugary top reminds me that winter’s here, and it’s time for us to light a fire and think about making an Irish coffee to go with these biscuits.
Lots of love
thebigfatnoodle

Yup, winter time!
Gingerbread men
75 grams soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
1 tablespoon of orange juice
100 grams butter
¾ level teaspoon baking soda
250 grams plain flour
Pre-heat your oven to gas 180 degrees (Celsius).
Put the sugar, syrup, treacle, orange juice, spices and rind together in a large saucepan.
Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and add your butter and baking soda, mixing until everything’s combined.
Stir in your flour until mixed in and then set aside in a cool place until it’s chilled enough to handle (about 30minutes).
The dough remains quite buttery when you roll it out and is quite soft but you can easily press the dough back together if it breaks.
Roll the dough out to about 3-5 mm thickness cut into gingerbread men or different cookie shapes.
Bake in the oven for about 10-15minutes and allow to cool first in the baking tray for a couple of minutes, then on a rack, before decorating.
Coming this highly recommended, means I am going to have to make them!
🙂 Mandy
I love the addition of orange to the gingerbread recipe. They sure do look good enough to eat and I’m not sure they’d last long enough to give away!
Our batch lasted a whole two days before I’d eaten most of them- oops! 🙂
I did not know the other name for molasses is black treacle. I was finally able to find some here in Hong Kong. Woo Hoo! I will have to give your recipe a try. Your little gingerbread guys are very cute!
so so cute! Really nice pics
🙂
Thumbs up definitely deserved!
Haha, thanks 🙂
OMG these cookies are adordable. The decoration is also very lovely. I love ginger cookies but get so tired of decorating them!
Thanks. I need to learn how to make a better icing though. Fondant’s not ideal because they don’t stay white!
sorry, there is a typo in my comment.
So pretty! Your photos are just wonderful. That last one is so cute lol. I’m not a big crunchy cookie fan, but these are pretty enough that I’d give it a try 🙂
Thanks I actually prefer soft gooey cookies myself!
they are too adorable to eat!
Just made a batch of these today for Skys preschool, they are rather good – I didnt have any golden syrup so I subbed with 2 tablespoons of Agave Nectar, and it worked fine.
The orange is wonderful, I think I left it too long cooling though as when I went to work on it it was all crumbly so I added water and it seemed to soften and I managed to roll out and cut enough. Thanks!