About the Recipe
With the spices natural warming properties and the tales of Hansel and Gretel the gingerbread house became synonymous with Christmas. If you are stuck for a gift nothing says “your awesome” like a personalised gingerbread cookie.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
1 ¾ cups 300g unsalted butter
2 cups 230g brown sugar
X 2 egg yolks
1 cup 345g golden syrup
2 tsp 6g mixed spice
2 tbsp 12g ground dry ginger
5 cups 800g plain flour
1 tsp 15g baking soda
Royal Icing Ingredients
2 egg whites
2 cups 300g confectioners’ sugar
Method
Gingerbread Method
1. Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature
NOTE: Separate the yolk from the whites ahead of time
2. Beat butter with paddle attachment on high until it turns pale.
3. Add brown sugar and beat on low to combine for 5 minutes.
NOTE: Scrape the paddle and the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are combined.
4. Add room temperature egg yoks and golden syrup and on low speed combine for 3 minutes.
5. Add spices and ½ cup of flour and combine 70% before adding the next ½ cup.
6. Once ½ of the flour add the baking soda and start adding 1 cup of flour until combined.
NOTE: Don’t over mix, once you see the flour disappear turn off the mixer.
7. Place the dough into some cling film, cover tightly and place in the fridge to cool or at least 1 hour.
TIP: Place in two separate dough balls and flatten to cool quicker.
While the dough is cooling prepare the royal icing.
8. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bench and place another piece over the dough.
NOTE: You will be rolling the dough to 6cm in thickness for best baking results so don’t have too much dough for rolling.
9. If you find the dough too soft, place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Pre heat the fan forced oven to 180oc and punch out the desired shapes and lay on a baking tray lined with backing paper.
10. Place the baking trays on the middle rack or 10 minutes for soft cookies and 13 minutes for crispier cookies.
11. Once cooked remove and leave on the baking tray for 5 minutes before dragging the cookies on the backing paper to a cooking rack.
NOTE: The cookies will still be quite soft until left to cook for 15 minutes.
Royal Icing Method
1. Beat room temperature eggs in a medium size bowl until tripples in size and frothy.
2. Add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until combined.
NOTE: half way through adding the sugar scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the splash back is combined as it will become hard rather quickly.