Spiced Gingerbread Men decorated with an easy royal icing. These biscuits make a cute festive bake the whole family will enjoy making and eating! Homemade gingerbread men are the taste of Christmas!
I couldn’t let the festive season pass and not post a gingerbread biscuit recipe on the blog! I’ve been making this gingerbread biscuit recipe for many years now and it has never let me down. The biscuits are perfectly crisp and golden on the outside, yet soft and chewy in the centre. They have the perfect combination of spices and are utterly delicious dunked into a cup of coffee or hot chocolate!
My gingerbread dough is made from just a handful of ingredients and it’s an absolute breeze to make. Start by creaming softened butter, brown sugar and spices together until light and fluffy. Then add one egg to the mix along with golden syrup. Add flour and a bit of bicarbonate of soda to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms.
I’ve added a mixture of ground cinnamon and ginger to the dough and there is just enough flavour from the spices without being overwhelming. If you love more ginger flavour, then add an extra teaspoon.
Once rolled, cut the gingerbread men out and then evenly spread out onto 2-3 large baking trays and bake until golden. Baking time will depend on the cutters you use. I used a 4-inch gingerbread man cutter and this batch of gingerbread biscuits were in the oven for approx. 10-12 minutes. Baking time will differ by a few minutes either side depending on the size of your cutter and how thick you roll the dough.
If you prefer a softer biscuit, bake for less time and if you want a chewier, crunchier biscuit then bake an additional few minutes.
The best part comes next, the decoration! I decorated my gingerbread men with royal icing. You can tint the icing with food colouring and pipe cute decorations onto each biscuit. Top with chocolates, sweets or festive sprinkles.
They’re slightly crisp on outside then as you bite into the biscuit you will discover the divine chewy centre.
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients
Gingerbread Dough:
- 125 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened - if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt
- 175 g dark or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons golden syrup or black treacle
- 350 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Royal Icing:
- 225 g icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons egg white powder this is 1 x 5g sachet
- 3-4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- To Make The Gingerbread Dough: Cream the butter, sugar, ginger and cinnamon together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and golden syrup and mix until combined. Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda to the bowl and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to chill the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 2-3 large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper or on a lightly floured work surface until it's 1/4 inch in thickness.
- Cut out the gingerbread men shapes and spread out evenly on the lined baking trays - this recipe makes 20-30 biscuits. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Leave to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes, then carefully transport to a wire rack.
- To Make The Royal Icing: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar, egg white powder and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Beat for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Add the additional 2 tablespoons of water until you reach your preferred consistency.
- Decorate the gingerbread men as desired with the icing. Leave the icing to set for about 30 minutes before eating. Gingerbread men will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.
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These little guys are so cute! I couldn’t resist nibbling on their arms and legs. 😉
Thanks Eva! 🙂
So cute and so festive- love it!
Thanks Medha!
Those are really cute and I have been looking for a good recipe for gingerbread cookies. They look wonderful.
Thanks Suzanne! I hope you give these a go! My favourite gingerbread biscuit/cookie recipe! 🙂
These are adorable, Jessica! My Grandma used to make gingerbread cookies every year, and now my Aunt does, so I’ve always loved these cookies!
Thanks Gayle! Really pleased you like them! 🙂
Oh no! That gingerbread man has a broken leg! Clearly I need to help him out with this problem…by eating the rest of him. Nom nom nom! Love gingerbread cookies, and these look excellent, Jess!
Haha! Thanks David! I couldn’t resist nibbling on the biscuit during my photoshoot! 😉 Really happy you like them!
Gingerbread men are quintessential Christmas and your lil’ men look PERFECT!! Love the royal icing decoration! These are just fabulous, Jess! Pinned! Cheers! 🙂
Thanks Cheyanne! Gingerbread men are definitely one of my favourite festive bakes! My icing is not the best, I’ll need some practice ready for next year… 😉
Anyhow, glad you like the recipe! Thanks for pinning!
These look gorgeous! So cute! Pinning! Happy Holidays!
Thanks Mira! Have a great Christmas! 🙂
I can tell you’ve been making these for a while because they look perfect! Just adorable. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Amanda! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Yum! I love a great gingerbread man! Happy Christmas!
Thanks Rachelle! Have a great Christmas! 🙂
We love making gingerbread men – yours look perfect and so adorable! 🙂
Thanks Kelly! 🙂
Beautiful, I love these Jess! Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!
Thanks Manali! Have a lovely Chistmas!
These are my favorite! Yours look perfect!!! Nice job, as always, Jess. Happy holidays!
These are so ridiculously cute!!
I’m really pleased you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the review. 🙂