Soft chewy gingerbread biscuits are perfect at Christmas time. These bite-sized little ginger biscuits are ideal to make with your kids too as well as being great for snack time!
These Gingerbread Biscuits are Great to Make with your Kids
I first made these soft chewy gingerbread biscuits with Little Miss Spice when she was just 19 months old. Even at that age she loved using her cookie cutters and playing with the cookie dough. I think she thought it was playdoh!
So of course when I was given a gingerbread man cutter I was excited to use it with her. I had never made gingerbread men before so I thought we would have a great time together making gingerbread men.
Well, I wanted to make gingerbread men. Little Miss Spice had other ideas. She didn't seem to like the idea of making little men and only wanted to use the star, tree and butterfly cutters. Bells were acceptable too. But no little men. Not even one.
I even kept some of the gingerbread cookie dough in the fridge and tried again in a few days time but little Miss Spice still did not want little gingerbread men!
Christmas gingerbread biscuit shapes
It's now 5 years since I first made these and I'm pleased to report that we have managed to use that gingerbread man cutter! However, as these biscuits are perfect for Christmas I like to use stars and Christmas trees instead.
What is the texture of these gingerbread biscuits?
Some gingerbread biscuits are very hard but I like my ginger biscuit to be a little soft. These ones are just right. They're soft and a bit chewy so you definitely won't break any teeth on them! The recipe makes a huge amount of little biscuits but of course that will depend a little on the size of your cookie cutters.
How quickly do you have to eat them?
I have found that these biscuits keep really well in an airtight container for at least a week and probably longer. They are so moreish! You'll be glad you made a big batch.
However, if you really think you'll have a problem eating all these gingerbread cookies up then you can freeze the dough and use it later. You can also keep the uncooked dough in the fridge for a couple of days wrapped in cling film.
Can you use this dough to make a gingerbread house?
I'm afraid not. This dough makes soft gingerbread biscuits so it wouldn't hold up the weight of a gingerbread house.
Can you adapt the gingerbread recipe?
You can see from my recipe that I've use ginger and cinnamon in these ginger biscuits. That's just because I love ginger and cinnamon together and think it makes a great flavour for these biscuits. They still taste more of ginger than of cinnamon. However, if you want to make them more traditional then omit the cinnamon and use more ginger instead. You can also vary the recipe by using mixed spice or by adding some nutmeg.
If you like spiced biscuits then why not check out my recipe for lebkuchen?
Why not give some of these soft gingerbread cookies as gifts?
Who doesn't love being giving cookies as a Christmas present, especially homemade ones! These chewy gingerbread cookies make a great homemade present. Just put them in an airtight box and wrap them up prettily!
You could also gift these delicious caramelised pecans.
Recipe for Soft Gingerbread Biscuits
Gingerbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 350 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 115 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 175 g soft light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp icing sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a bowl. Soften the butter slightly in the microwave if it is straight out of the fridge or use room temperature butter. Chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour mixture. Rub in in with your fingers. Then stir in the sugar.
- Put the golden syrup and egg in another bowl and beat together. Then stir into the flour mixture. Knead it with your hands until you get a stiff but smooth dough.
- Line baking trays with baking paper.
- Roll the dough out so it is 5mm thick and then use whatever cutters you want to make biscuits. Put them on the baking trays.
- Bake in the oven for 7 minutes for biscuits that are still a bit soft and chewy on the inside or for 9-10 minutes if you prefer harder biscuits.
- If you want sift the icing sugar over the biscuits to decorate.
Notes
Nutrition
More Festive Christmas Baking
I love making biscuits and other sweet bakes with my kids at Christmas time. Well, not just at Christmas! I love it at any time of year!
If you are looking for Christmas bakes do take a look at these recipes:
Nut and Cranberry Biscuits
Mince Pies
Buttery Chocolate Chip Biscuits
You might also like my ginger cake recipe.
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Do let me know if you make these chewy gingerbread biscuits. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Places I'm sharing these easy gingerbread biscuits
Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by me, Corina, here at Searching for Spice
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
Such cute little stars and trees! I love making gingerbread at this time of year
Corina Blum
Thanks Kat! It's very seasonal isn't it! I always miss all the spicy baking after Christmas.
Monika Dabrowski
Gingerbread biscuits are for me the most essential Christmas treat. Yours look super cute. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Corina Blum
Thanks Monika! I love all the spicy bakes around at this time of year too.
Anna | Once Upon A Food Blog
These are so pretty and I love the fact that they are soft. I don't like hard gingerbread either!
Corina Blum
Yay! I'm so pleased you like soft gingerbread as well Anna!
Cat | Curly's Cooking
Soft gingerbread is my kind of gingerbread! These look so tasty and festive!
Corina Blum
Yay! I'm pleased you agree! Although saying that I am considering attempting a gingerbread house with hard gingerbread this weekend. Just for the children though so it's unlikely to make it onto the blog.
Janice Pattie
I love gingerbread everything! I've never made chewy gingerbread men, mine are always the crisp kind. I may give these a try.
Corina Blum
I hope you like them! I've never actually made the crisp kind!
Julie Running in a Skirt
I love a soft gingerbread cookie! This recipe looks so perfect for the holidays. can't wait to try!
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like them! I find them quite addictive when I'm at home - It's hard to stop snacking on them.
Beth
Gingerbread is my favorite and for some reason, I never make them! Too funny, that she didn't want to do the men!
Corina Blum
I know! We did manage to make the gingerbread men eventually though. She definitely knew her own mind then and still does!
Claudia Canu
These biscuits look absolutely delicious and I think they would make a perfect edible present if wrapped in a nice package 🙂
Corina Blum
Thanks! It is always good to get some edible presents at Christmas isn't it!
Mayuri Patel
Finally a soft gingerbread biscuits. Hubby doesn't like the hard ones. Such cute little biscuits. I too have not had a chance to use the man cutter... its usually round. The stars is will on my agenda soon to get into the festive mood.
Corina Blum
My husband and I are both fans of soft gingerbread biscuits too!
Lesli Schwartz
Nothing like the smell of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven! These look wonderful!
Corina Blum
I couldn't agree more! THey do make the house smell lovely as they're baking.
rhiannong
I love "makes a lot". Whenever I follow biscuit recipes they'll say makes 24 or some other reasonable number and then I end up with an entire kitchen full!
Corina
That's so true! I think it's impossible to say with biscuits as it all depends on the size of the cutters and in this case we'd eaten them before I wrote this up so I couldn't count them anyway!