Christmas Gingerbread Biscuits
- Sweet
- Oven
Crisp-edged, warmly spiced gingerbread biscuits with a deep molasses-like sweetness from brown sugar and honey. The dough rests in the fridge, then the biscuits bake golden in the oven, ready for decorating or eating plain with tea.
- Total
- 1 h 40
- Prep 25 · Cook 15 · Rest 60
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Whisking · Kneading
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 175°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
~5 min
-
Melt 100 g butter in a small heatproof bowl set in the warm oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until just liquid. Remove and let it cool slightly so it is warm, not hot.
~4 min
Warm, not hot, butter blends into the sugar and egg without cooking it, keeping the dough smooth and evenly mixed.
-
In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1 egg with 90 g brown sugar, 60 g honey and 0.25 tsp salt until smooth. Stir in the warm melted butter, then add 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon and 0.25 tsp cloves.
~4 min
Whisking the egg with the sugar and honey first dissolves them into a smooth base, so the spices and butter disperse evenly instead of clumping.
Whisking Whisk briskly in a circular motion until the egg, sugar and honey are fully smooth; stop as soon as no streaks remain so you do not whip in air.
-
Add 300 g flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Bring it together with your hands, shape into a flat disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 60 minutes, until firm enough to roll.
~60 min
Chilling firms the butter and hydrates the flour, so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls without sticking or springing back.
Kneading Bring the dough together with light, brief pressure just until it holds; overworking develops gluten and makes the biscuits tough rather than tender.
-
Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick. Cut out biscuits with cutters and space them 2 cm apart on the lined tray, re-rolling the trimmings once.
~10 min
Rolling to an even 5 mm and spacing the biscuits lets them bake at the same rate and stops them merging as they spread.
The dough is ready to roll when it feels firm but still pliable; if it cracks at the edges, let it stand 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling again.
-
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden; the centres will still feel soft. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and firm up.
~17 min
Biscuits keep cooking on the hot tray, so resting them there finishes the centres and lets them crisp as they cool.
Pull the biscuits from the oven when the edges are just golden, not dark brown. They crisp as they cool, so slightly underbaked centres give a tender bite rather than a hard snap.
