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My mum loved gingerbread houses; I made them for her, but she didn’t like them covered with lollies. To take care of the kiddies in the family, I add the lollies or fondant icing to the cookies or smaller items. Each time I make the gingerbread houses, I use a different design although I think she liked the churches best.
This Gingerbread recipe makes a dough that allows you to be creative (perhaps for a festive season), and as an extra reward your friends and family get to taste the fruits of your labour (literally),
Gingerbread church
After baking, allow your shapes to cool on the tray for a few minutes to let them set up, then remove them to a cooling rack so they can finish cooling.
Gingerbread tree
The gingerbread tree is quite easy when you know how. You can purchase cutters for them everywhere when we’re nearing Christmas time. You need to get a set that varies from large to small and preferably has around 8 in the collection.Cut out one of each star if there are 8 to 10 cutters or two of each if there is only 4 or 5.
If you want simple, bake your cookies, and once they’re cool use fondant or ready-rolled icing to cover them using the same cookie cutters, you cut the cookies from. Make a simple sugar syrup (50/50 water sugar heated until the sugar is dissolved) and brush this on the cookies to stick the fondant down.
Now all you need to do is stack them on top of each other using the sugar syrup as glue. Use the smallest star on its end for the top. To decorate and to stick the top star, I used royal icing, coloured fondant balls, edible glitter and some snowflakes also cut from fondant. They’re not particularly hard to make and great as a table centrepiece (that can be eaten).
How do you like your Gingerbread?
If you prefer your gingerbread soft, bake them until you notice the first signs of colour. The exact time may vary depending on the size of the cookie. Small stars may take 8-10 minutes, while larger stars may require 10-15 minutes of baking; then, you have the side wall of a gingerbread house, which could take up to 20 minutes or even longer if it’s large and thick.
As you probably gathered from above for a firmer texture, bake the gingerbread until it turns a deep golden brown. After removing them from the oven, allow them to firm up on a cooling rack. This will result in gingerbread that snaps rather than bends, making it perfect for constructing gingerbread houses, churches, trees, and more. Your imagination is the only limit.
Gingerbread dough – Thermomix
4.75 from 8 votes
5 stars tells us you love the recipe
becs-table.com.au
Gingerbread that you can eat or build with (and then eat). Lasts for a few months if kept airtight. This makes approx 80 biscuit's or two of the trees, or 12 little reindeer and 2 hearts.
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Difficulty Easy
Course Christmas
Cuisine European
Servings 20
Method Thermomix
Equipment
1 Thermomix
Ingredients
- 100 g golden syrup
- 180 g Castor sugar
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 5 g Ground cloves
- 10 g Cinnamon
- 5 g ginger
- 1 Egg Whole
- 400 g Plain Flour
- 5 g Bicarbonate of Soda
Instructions
Read the whole method before you start.
Take the first six ingredients and weigh them into your Thermomix bowl. 8 mins/100 c/speed 2. (or add them to a pot on the stove gently heat till completely melted through the mix doesn’t need to boil)
Allow to cool till at least 50°c.
Add 1 Whole egg and mix on speed 3 for 3 sec (add stove top mix into an electric mixer with the egg and beat till combined)
Weigh in your 400g Plain Flour and 5g Bicarbonate of Soda, mix on speed 5 / 5 sec just to bring the mix together. (add your plain flour and bicarb and bring the mix together. ) It will be sticky at this stage don't worry
Use the interval speed (dough mode) for 2 mins; then you’re done. Wooot how easy is that and not one sticky finger. Hehe Hehe (remove the dough onto a lightly floured bench and knead till it all comes together.) Put it in a plastic wrap lined bowl overnight for the flavours to develop. Or longer if you like; you've got about a week to work with it. And fear not tomorrow it will be much easier to work with as long as you leave it to come to room temperature first.
On the day you choose to bake your gingerbread, you will need to remove it from the fridge and let it rest between 1/2 an hour and an hour or so before you start rolling it out. It will feel quite hard but don't worry a little bit of massaging will soften it up and make it an excellent dough to work with.
Roll your dough to around 5mm thick and cut shapes. See my notes for more
Notes
Bec’s Tips:
- I Bake these at 150°c (convection oven) and pull them out just as they start to colour. There isn’t any specific time I can give because it depends on what size shapes you are baking and your oven.
- Little cookies may take 12 to 15 mins, but the walls of a gingerbread house could take 15 to 25 mins.
- Don’t put large cookies and small cookies on the same baking sheet or the little ones could burn while waiting for the larger ones to cook through.
For Thermomix owners:
- You can double the mix, but it is a lot. I’ve done it many times, but you’ll have to use your TM spatula through the hole in the lid to help keep everything moving. Mixing it while it’s still warm helps as well.
- Don’t overbake your dough, or it will become too crisp, (unless that’s what you’re going for) the dough is quite strong, strong enough to make houses out of but deliciously tender for eating.
- This recipe is a commercial one so you won’t have any problems as long as you follow the recipe. Make sure you rest it overnight in the fridge then bring it out to come to room temp before you start rolling it out. You will be cursing at it if you try to roll it out straight after making it.
- This Gingerbread will last for months in cello bags or in airtight containers.
- I often make Christmas tree decorations out of it, pop them in cello bags and hang them on the Christmas tree. We’re still eating them at New Year when we’re taking the tree down.
Gingerbread dough – Conventional
4.38 from 8 votes
5 stars tells us you love the recipe
becs-table.com.au
Gingerbread that you can eat or build with (and then eat). Lasts for a few months if kept airtight. This makes approx 80 biscuit's or two of the trees, or 12 little reindeer and 2 hearts.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 8 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Difficulty Easy
Course Christmas, Easter
Cuisine European
Servings 20
Method Conventional
Equipment
1 Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 100 g Golden syrup
- 180 g Castor sugar
- 400 g Plain Flour
- 5 g Ground Cloves
- 10 g Cinnamon
- 5 g ginger
- 5 g Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 whole egg
- 150 g Unsalted butter
Instructions
Add the golden syrup, butter, castor sugar, cloves, cinnamon and ginger together in a pot, bring to the boil. Then turn off and allow to cool.
Mix the egg, breaking the yolk then add to the boiled mix when cool. It’s easier to work with the syrup mix while it’s still a little warm, between 37°c and 50°c is fine.
Sieve the dry ingredients together
Make a bay and pour half the warm liquid into the bay
Slowly bring the dry ingredients into the liquid, forming a thick slurry before breaking sides of the bay
Mix until all the flour is mixed through
This mix will seem pasty at this stage; you need to wrap the dough in plastic and leave it overnight to mature.
Because it’s been in the fridge, the dough will be quite hard. You can either leave it to come to room temp or knead it to get it to come together. Once you start rolling, it will be easy to work with.
Notes
I Bake these at 150°c (fan) and pull them out just as they start to colour. There isn’t any specific time I can give because it depends on what size shapes you are baking and your oven.
Little cookies may take 12 to 15 mins, but the walls of a gingerbread house could take 15 to 25 mins.
Don’t put large cookies and small cookies on the same baking sheet or the little ones could burn while waiting for the larger ones to cook through.
Now go have some fun…
Oh, you do know that you can have Gingerbread at other times of the Year (for example, Easter)!
