Christmas,  Cookies,  Dessert,  Snack,  Various

Sophia’s Gingerbread

Gingerbread making and decorating can be a really fun and inclusive holiday tradition for all ages. It’s something I look forward to every year, even though I’m happy to eat spiced cookies all year round. There is definatly something extra special about the gingerbread that’s made at christmas time.

Today I have an extra special christmas treat to share with you all and it’s the infamous recipe for Sophia’s Gingerbread. Over the years she has treated me to many (many) iterations of this recipe and I am grateful for every bite!

One of the first Gingerbread Houses we made together!

It’s best to prepare the dough and bake the cookies in advance if you want to host a decorating party, as the gingerbread cookies will need time to cool completely before decorating. A range of different candies, lollies and sprinkles help bring these creations to life. Sturdy piping bags make the world of difference when working with royal icing and are a worthwhile investment if you don’t already have some on hand.

I hope that you too can share this recipe with your nearest and dearest and spread as much love as you can this Christmas season in the form of great memories and delicious food.

For more Christmas recipes, please go check out our collection of especially festive foods.

If you’re looking for tips on packaging edible christmas gifts, there’s a whole article here with bonus free printable gift tags.


Sophia’s Gingerbread

Prep Time2 hrs 30 minsCook Time45 mins

Yields1 ServingDifficultyBeginnerCategorySnack

 5 cups Plain Flour
 1 tsp Bicarb Soda
 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
 3 tsp Baking Powder
 3 tsp Ground Ginger
 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
 1 tsp Ground Cloves
 ½ tsp Ground Allspice
 ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
 185 g Butter
 1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
 ¼ cup Golden Syrup
 ¼ cup Molasses
 3 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
 Royal Icing to decorate

1

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, spices & butter. Pulse the mixture until the butter is cut in (it should be crumbly, a bit like breadcrumbs.)

2

Add in the sugar, treacle & the egg mixture. The mixture will come together into a medium-firm dough - you may need a little more egg or flour depending on the weather.

3

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on your worksurface (a clean bench or chopping board are both suitable). Turn out the dough and knead until just smooth. Overworking the dough at this stage can result in a tough or crumbly end result. Regrigerate the dough for at least 1hr, but overnight in the fridge is reccomended for best results.

4

Once thoroughly chilled, the dough will be very solid. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into 6 portions and let them soften a bit at room temperature (depending on the weather this may not take very long - we don't want it so warm that the butter is starting to melt.)

5

Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper to around 3-5mm. You can also flour and roll the dough directly, though we don't want to add in too much excess flour - so the baking paper method is preferred.

6

Clear a tray sized space in your fridge and line a few baking trays (cookie sheets) with baking/parchment paper. Cut out your shapes, carefully transfer to the lined tray and refrigerate the filled tray for 10-15minutes before baking.

7

Bake in your preheated oven for 7-12minutes, or until lightly golden and just set. Cookies will firm up slightly as they cool.

8

Rotate through the cutting, refrigerating and cooking process with the remaining trays and dough.

9

Once cookies are cooled, decorate & Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

 5 cups Plain Flour
 1 tsp Bicarb Soda
 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
 3 tsp Baking Powder
 3 tsp Ground Ginger
 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
 1 tsp Ground Cloves
 ½ tsp Ground Allspice
 ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
 185 g Butter
 1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
 ¼ cup Golden Syrup
 ¼ cup Molasses
 3 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
 Royal Icing to decorate

Directions

1

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, spices & butter. Pulse the mixture until the butter is cut in (it should be crumbly, a bit like breadcrumbs.)

2

Add in the sugar, treacle & the egg mixture. The mixture will come together into a medium-firm dough - you may need a little more egg or flour depending on the weather.

3

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on your worksurface (a clean bench or chopping board are both suitable). Turn out the dough and knead until just smooth. Overworking the dough at this stage can result in a tough or crumbly end result. Regrigerate the dough for at least 1hr, but overnight in the fridge is reccomended for best results.

4

Once thoroughly chilled, the dough will be very solid. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into 6 portions and let them soften a bit at room temperature (depending on the weather this may not take very long - we don't want it so warm that the butter is starting to melt.)

5

Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper to around 3-5mm. You can also flour and roll the dough directly, though we don't want to add in too much excess flour - so the baking paper method is preferred.

6

Clear a tray sized space in your fridge and line a few baking trays (cookie sheets) with baking/parchment paper. Cut out your shapes, carefully transfer to the lined tray and refrigerate the filled tray for 10-15minutes before baking.

7

Bake in your preheated oven for 7-12minutes, or until lightly golden and just set. Cookies will firm up slightly as they cool.

8

Rotate through the cutting, refrigerating and cooking process with the remaining trays and dough.

9

Once cookies are cooled, decorate & Enjoy!

Notes

Sophia’s Gingerbread

Recipe Notes

My gingerbread dough is too hard to roll out?

Leave it at room temperature a bit longer to warm up if you’re having difficulty rolling. You don’t want to be adding extra flour as you try and roll it out, so it’s best to be at a workable temperature but also not over-softened.

My Shapes are spreading in the oven

If your gingerbread is spreading too much, the cut shapes need to be chilled longer before baking.



Key Ingredients

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Annette Brown
December 2, 2019 6:38 am

Gingerbread always reminds me of Christmas, those Christmas cookies look amazing. Cannot wait to try this one. 👩🏻‍🍳