Description
A delicious and festive gluten-free gingerbread recipe featuring aromatic spices and a soft yet firm dough, perfect for holiday baking and decorating with icing.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 100g salted butter
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
Sweeteners
- 100g dark muscovado sugar
- 50g icing sugar (for icing)
Dry Ingredients
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1½ tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 225g gluten-free plain flour
Icing
- 1 – 2 tbsp water (to mix with icing sugar for icing)
Instructions
- Prepare the butter mixture: In a small pan, gently heat the salted butter, golden syrup, and dark muscovado sugar together, stirring occasionally until all ingredients are melted and combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and gluten-free plain flour thoroughly.
- Make the dough: Pour the slightly cooled melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir together to combine, then use your hands to bring the mixture into a soft dough. Note that the dough will be soft initially but will firm up when chilled.
- Roll the dough: Lay two sheets of greaseproof paper on the work surface. Place the dough on one sheet and shape it into a rectangle. Cover with the second sheet and roll the dough out to about ½ cm thickness.
- Chill the dough: Transfer the rolled dough, still between the greaseproof sheets, onto a flat surface and refrigerate for 1 hour to set and firm up for easier cutting.
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven temperature to 190°C (170°C fan) or gas mark 5 and line a large baking tray with non-stick greaseproof paper.
- Cut out shapes: Remove the dough from the fridge and peel off the top greaseproof sheet. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes like 9cm stars or smaller stars with cut-out centers. Arrange the shapes on the lined baking tray.
- Bake the gingerbread: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, adjusting the time slightly depending on the size of the shapes. Smaller shapes will need less time; larger shapes may need a few extra minutes.
- Prepare icing: While the biscuits bake and cool, mix the icing sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until thick yet pipeable. Avoid thinning it too much to prevent it from running.
- Decorate the biscuits: Once the gingerbread cookies have cooled completely, pipe decorative designs using the prepared icing as desired.
Notes
- The dough will be soft initially but firms up well in the fridge, making it easier to work with.
- Adjust baking time according to the size and thickness of cut shapes; thinner or smaller shapes bake faster.
- Use greaseproof paper to prevent sticking and help with rolling out the dough evenly.
- The icing should be thick enough to hold its shape but still pipeable for decorating.
- Store baked gingerbread in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: gluten-free gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, holiday baking, gluten-free dessert, spiced cookies
