Name: Easy Gingerbread Biscuits - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 1 h 28 min
Yield: 40
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Small Saucepan; Wooden Spoon; Large Mixing Bowl; Small Pot/Glass; Rolling Pin; Christmas Cutters (approximately 9cm); Baking Tray; Cooling Rack; 180g (3/4 Cup + 2 tbsp) Dark Muscovado Sugar; 90g (1/4 Cup) Golden Syrup *; 100g (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter; 3 tsp Ground Ginger; 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 360g (2 + 3/4 Cup) Plain Flour #; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda; 1 Egg

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This right here is the easiest gingerbread biscuits recipe in the world! With a perfect balance of spices, these delicious gingerbread cookies provide a warming comfort on a cold Winter’s day.

Hands holding a cup of tea next to a white plate filled with decorated gingerbread biscuits with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There's also more biscuits and gold baubles scattered in the background. All set over a grey plaster effect backdrop.

Whether you prefer thin and crunchy gingerbread biscuits or soft gingerbread biscuits, this recipe has got you covered!

The difference is as simple as rolling your dough out thinner/thicker and knowing the cooking times. Easy peasy! It’s even great for beginner bakers.

A hand reaching in to 1 of 9 decorated gingerbread biscuits laid on a grey plaster effect backdrop in a triangle shape with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There are more biscuits and gold baubles in the background.

As for decorating, you really can use your imagination with these beautiful cookies! I like to use either royal icing or white chocolate as the added sweetness balances out the heat from the ginger perfectly.

They also look incredibly cute on top of gingerbread cupcakes, and go perfectly with a gingerbread latte!

Gingerbread biscuit dough rolled out over a grey plaster effect backdrop with Christmas shapes cut out of it and a cutter on top. In the background there is a small white rolling pin, cut out biscuit shapes, cutters, decorated gingerbread biscuits, gold baubles and a light brown linen napkin.

Gingerbread biscuits are also a wonderful Christmas bake to get the kids involved in. Even if you make the dough beforehand, they will love cutting out shapes and decorating them!

And if they’re a bit too spicy for the little ones, chocolate gingerbread cookies are sure to go down a treat instead!

A cooling rack topped with iced gingerbread biscuits set over a scrunched up piece of white baking paper. In the background there is a light brown linen napkin, more iced gingerbread biscuits, some gold baubles, cookie cutters and a white plate with more biscuits on it. All set on a grey plaster effect backdrop.

How to make gingerbread biscuits – recipe summary

Melt together the muscovado sugar, golden syrup and butter.
Whisk together the ginger, cinnamon and flour.
Dissolve bicarbonate of soda in water.
Mix the melted sugar mixture, bicarbonate of soda and an egg into the flour.
Bring to a dough then chill for 1 hour.
Roll out and press shapes using cutters.
Bake then cool completely.
Decorate with royal icing or white chocolate.

A close up of a white plate filled with gingerbread biscuits with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There are more biscuits and gold baubles scattered around and it's all set on a grey plaster effect backdrop.

Ingredients

Here’s everything you need to know about the ingredients needed to make gingerbread biscuits.

Sugar – Dark muscovado sugar is my go to in gingerbread. It adds a richness and chewiness that you just can’t get with other sugars! Stick to this one if you can or, at the very least, use a brown sugar rather than white.
Golden Syrup – Golden syrup is unique to the UK and has a very distinct flavour. You can use light corn syrup in the US but it won’t taste the same.
Butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking as it gives you complete control over the salt content. You can use salted but just know that it will affect the flavour.
Ginger – Ground ginger is best in gingerbread biscuits, I wouldn’t use fresh as it will mess with the balance of ingredients.
Cinnamon – This helps to round out the flavour of the ginger and create an overall more Winter warming Christmas flavour. I also use ground.
Flour – Plain flour (or all purpose in the US) only here! Don’t use self raising as we don’t want that much of a rise in these biscuits.
Bicarbonate of Soda – Helps to add that perfect little lift, but not too much.
Egg – Free range organic are my favourite (for hopefully obvious reasons) but any medium sized egg will work fine.
Royal Icing or White Chocolate – You can decorate these however you like. I used royal icing this time but have use white chocolate in the past and both work brilliantly.

Recipe tips

Here are some helpful tips so you can get these gingerbread biscuits right first time!

Read the recipe all the way through before you start. This will help you avoid any unnecessary mistakes!
Prepare/weigh out your ingredients before you begin. (This honestly makes life SO much easier!)
Don’t substitute the dark muscovado sugar for another type, it’s so important to the overall ‘gingerbread’ flavour.
Like crunchy gingerbread? Roll the dough to 3mm thick and bake 9cm shapes for approximately 6-8 minutes.
Prefer soft gingerbread? Roll the dough to 6mm thick and bake 9cm shapes for approximately 7-9 minutes.
If you want to decorate neatly, allow enough time for it. (It’s more time consuming than you think!)
Make smaller gingerbread biscuits and use as decorations on other bakes. Think cheesecakes, Christmas rocky road or even gingerbread cupcakes!

A white plate filled with gingerbread biscuits with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There are more biscuits and gold baubles scattered around and it's all set on a grey plaster effect backdrop.

Gingerbread Biscuits – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

* Please note the chilling times in the recipe before you begin! *

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make 30-40 crunchy gingerbread biscuits or 15-20 soft gingerbread biscuits.

180g (3/4 Cup + 2 tbsp) Dark Muscovado Sugar
90g (1/4 Cup) Golden Syrup *
100g (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter
3 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
360g (2 + 3/4 Cup) Plain Flour #
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 Egg

*Light corn syrup in the US

#All purpose flour in the US

Essential equipment

Small Saucepan
Wooden Spoon
Large Mixing Bowl
Small Pot/Glass
Rolling Pin
Christmas Cutters (approximately 9cm)
Baking Tray
Cooling Rack

Instructions

Firstly, place the dark muscovado sugar (180g | 3/4 Cup + 2 tbsp), golden syrup (90g | 1/4 Cup) and unsalted butter (100g | 1/2 Cup) into a small saucepan and set over a low/medium heat.

Stir often with a wooden spoon until the mixture is completely melted, then set to one side.

A small saucepan filled with dark muscovado sugar, cubed unsalted butter and golden syrup on a kitchen worktop.

A small saucepan filled with a melted mixture of dark muscovado sugar, unsalted butter and golden syrup set on a stove top.

Next, place the ground ginger (3 tsp), ground cinnamon (1 tsp) and plain flour (360g | 2 + 3/4 Cup) into a large bowl and mix together.

A large mixing bowl filled with ginger, cinnamon and flour on a kitchen worktop.

Then dissolve the bicarbonate of soda (1 tsp) in 1 tsp of water in a small pot or glass.

A small green pot filled with bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water set on a kitchen worktop.

Time to mix things together! Make a well in the centre of the flour in the large mixing bowl then pour in the melted sugar/butter mixture, the bicarbonate of soda and the egg (x 1).

A large bowl filled with all the unmixed ingredients to make gingerbread biscuits set on a kitchen worktop.

Beat together well until it comes together to form a rough, sticky dough.

Gingerbread biscuit dough in a large bowl on a kitchen worktop.

Now cover your gingerbread and place into the fridge for 1 hour to firm up. It should become rollable.

About 45 minutes in – preheat your oven to 180ºC/Fan 170ºC/356ºF.

Clingfilm covered gingerbread biscuit dough in a large bowl on a kitchen worktop.

Once the dough is chilled, roll out half of it on a lightly floured work surface. (This is just to make it easier to manage.)

If you’re making thin/crunchy gingerbread biscuits – roll your dough out to 3mm thick.

If you’re making thicker, soft gingerbread biscuits – roll your dough out to 6mm thick.

I’ve had this AMAZING Joseph Joseph rolling pin (affiliate link) for years and it’s great for when you want to roll out to exact measurements!

Gingerbread biscuit dough rolled out on a floured kitchen worktop with a rolling pin at the side.

Then use your chosen Christmas cutters to press out shapes in the dough. The baking times in this recipe are based on your biscuits being approximately 9cm tall so bear this in mind.

Rolled out gingerbread biscuits that have been cut with Christmas shaped cookie cutters on a kitchen worktop.

Lay your gingerbread biscuits out on a large baking tray. They won’t spread much so there’s no need to space them really far apart.

It’s also worth noting that they do tend to stick to the tray so it’s best if you line with a sheet of baking paper or a silicon baking mat. (Yes, I learnt my lesson with the biscuits in the image below hahaha!)

Unbaked gingerbread biscuits on a large baking tray ready to go into the oven.

For thin/crunchy biscuits – bake for approximately 6-8 minutes. For thicker, soft biscuits – bake for approximately 7-9 minutes. They should be darker in colour and will harden up on cooling.

Baked gingerbread biscuits on a large baking tray on a kitchen worktop.

After a minute or two on the tray, you should be able to transfer your gingerbread biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.

gingerbread biscuits cooling on a rack on a kitchen worktop.

Repeat the process until all the dough is used up.

Then you can decorate using either royal icing or melted white chocolate. Whatever you choose, allow them to set completely at room temperature.

Decorated gingerbread biscuits on a cooling rack on a kitchen worktop.

How to store gingerbread biscuits

Gingerbread biscuits are best stored in a metal container at room temperature and eaten within 5-7 days. If you store them in plastic containers, the sugar tends to sweat and this can quickly alter the texture of your biscuits. Metal is best!

Hands holding a cup of tea off to the side, next to a white plate filled with decorated gingerbread biscuits with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There's also more biscuits and gold baubles scattered in the background. All set over a grey plaster effect backdrop.

Is gingerbread the same as biscuits?

Gingerbread typically refers to a broad variety of baked goods that contain ginger. It could be anything from a ginger loaf cake to gingerbread biscuits.

So, in a way, yes – gingerbread is the same as biscuits!

A white plate filled with gingerbread biscuits with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There are more biscuits, gold baubles and a hand holding a cup of tea in the background and it's all set on a grey plaster effect backdrop.

Why are my gingerbread biscuits soft?

This could happen for a number of reasons. You may have rolled your biscuits too thick or not baked them for long enough. If you haven’t stored them correctly (see how to store gingerbread biscuits above) this could also make them go soft. Being left out uncovered for long periods of time will also soften your gingerbread biscuits.

9 decorated gingerbread biscuits laid on a grey plaster effect backdrop in a triangle shape with a light brown linen napkin scrunched up to the side. There are more biscuits and gold baubles in the background.

How long do gingerbread biscuits last?

It can vary but usually gingerbread biscuits will last for up to 1 week when stored properly. (In a metal tin at room temperature.)

A hand reaching in to some gingerbread biscuit dough rolled out over a grey plaster effect backdrop with Christmas shapes cut out of it and a cutter on top. In the background there is a small white rolling pin, cut out biscuit shapes, cutters, decorated gingerbread biscuits, gold baubles and a light brown linen napkin.

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Have you made this recipe?

Have you made these gorgeous gingerbread biscuits? I’d love to know if you have! Send me your pics, comments and questions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com.

Gingerbread biscuits being decorated on a cooling rack set over a piece of scrunched up baking paper over a grey plaster effect backdrop. There are gold baubles and decorated gingerbread biscuits around the edge of the image.

Easy Gingerbread Biscuits - Printable Recipe

Yield: 40

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 28 minutes

This right here is the easiest gingerbread biscuits recipe in the world! With a perfect balance of spices, these delicious gingerbread cookies provide a warming comfort on a cold Winter’s day.