This gingerbread men recipe is easy to follow and will give you the perfect bake with the perfect amount of taste and crunch. It’s the ultimate festive treat at this time of year
Nothing gets the tastebuds going like a warm slice of home-cooked gingerbread.
The baked treat offers a comfortingly rich blend of sweet and spicy notes, which simply scream out Christmas! And making your own gingerbread men has long been a festive and fun experience which can really get the family in the mood for the big day.
So why not have a go at baking your own? Below, TikTok content creator kimberleycooks has shared a deliciously simple recipe that’s high on taste – and low on effort.
Ingredients
- 125g butter
- Half a cup of brown sugar
- Half a cup of golden syrup
- One egg
- Two and a half cups of plain flour
- One tsp bicarbonate of soda
- One tsp mixed spice
- One tbsp of ground ginger
- A gingerbread man cutter
- A cup of icing sugar
Method
Put the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk until buttery smooth. Next add in half a cup of golden syrup and the egg yolk only, and mix together.
Sieve in two and a half cups of plain flour and add one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, the teaspoon of mixed spice and tablespoon of ground ginger. Give it all a great mix. Pop it out of the bowl, wrap in clingfilm, and put it in the fridge for half an hour.
Use a rolling pin to gently ease the mix into a flat surface as thick as you’d like the gingerbread mean to be. Then using a cutter, mark out all the gingerbread men. Finally, pop in the oven on 180C for ten minutes. Whisk an egg white with a cup of icing sugar to make the icing, then pipe the glossy mixture onto your gingerbread chaps – and there you have it, dead simple, right?
“The popularity of gingerbread during the holidays can, at least in part, be attributed to the belief that spices heated you up in the winter,” says dessert historian Michael Krondl. But did you ever wonder where the gingerbread men tradition originated?
It turns out this tasty tradition dates way back to ancient times and is largely thanks to the Middle Eastern spice trade routes.
Ginger, a medicinal marvel and full of zing, made its grand entrance into Europe this way, with a leap into all sorts of baked delights. The very first gingerbread men are believed to have popped up in 15th century Germany, where seasoned bakers shaped their ginger-spiced dough into a medley of fancy figures, from beasts to bods.
The custom of crafting gingerbread into men and women shapes gradually became linked with festive occasions. In the 16th century, it’s believed that Queen Elizabeth I of England ordered gingerbread men to be made in the likeness of her court’s distinguished guests.
This Royal endorsement helped boost the popularity of gingerbread as a symbol of celebration and joy. Over time, the connection between gingerbread and holidays, especially Christmas, grew stronger.
By the 19th century, Gingerbread men had become a firm favourite during Christmas festivities, with families relishing the tradition of baking and decorating these delightful cookies. The Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, which featured a house made entirely of gingerbread, further enhanced the magical and festive aura surrounding this treat.
Today, gingerbread men remain a cherished part of holiday traditions across the globe. The enduring appeal of these spiced biscuits lies not only in their tasty flavour but also in the cultural and historical significance they hold, making them a treasured treat that links the past with the present.
