Nothing says Christmas quite like a batch of gingerbread cookies! These cookies are buttery and just the right amount of chewy, making them perfect for cutting into Christmas trees, stars, and gingerbread people.
Decorate them with a simple icing once they've cooled, then add sprinkles, coloured icing or whatever festive details you like. They're a great Christmas baking activity for the whole family. 🎄
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- 125g butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar (110g)
- ½ cup golden syrup (160g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups plain flour (345g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Icing
- 1½ cups icing sugar (225g)
- 2–3 tbsp water or milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For coloured icing, divide the icing between small bowls and add a tiny amount of food colouring to each.
Method
1. Make the gingerbread dough
Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy.
Add the golden syrup, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
2. Chill the dough
Divide the dough into two portions and flatten each into a disc. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape when baked.
3. Roll and cut
Preheat your oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan bake) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough to approximately 5mm thick.
Cut out your favourite Christmas shapes and carefully transfer them to the prepared trays, leaving a little room between each cookie.
Re-roll any leftover dough and continue cutting until you've used it all.
4. Bake
Bake for 8–10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
The edges should be lightly golden while the centres still look slightly soft.
Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the icing
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of water or milk and the vanilla, then stir until smooth. Add a little more liquid, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you want.
For piping, keep the icing fairly thick. For flooding or spreading, add a little more liquid to make it smoother and runnier.
6. Decorate
Once the gingerbread cookies are completely cool, decorate with your icing.
Pipe around the edges, add festive details, or simply drizzle the icing over the top. Finish with sprinkles while the icing is still wet.
Leave the icing to set before storing or serving.
Christmas Baking Tip 🎄
Want perfectly shaped gingerbread cookies? Don't skip the chilling step. If your dough starts becoming soft while you're cutting your shapes, pop it back into the fridge for 10–15 minutes before baking.
Storage
Store decorated gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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