Australia's #1 gingerbread men recipe (2024)

  • 14 Ingredients
  • 6 Method Steps

14 Ingredients

6 Method Steps

  • Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter (Melted Devondale Unsalted Butter, to grease) to lightly grease.

  • Use an electric beater to beat the butter (125g Devondale Unsalted Butter, at room temperature) and sugar (100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar) in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup (125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup) and egg (1 egg, separated) yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour (375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour), ginger (1 tbsp ground ginger), mixed spice (1 tsp mixed spice) and bicarbonate (1 tsp Coles Bicarbonate Soda) of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured (Plain flour, to dust) surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

  • Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar (150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted) and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing among 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring (8-10 drops red liquid food colouring) to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring (8-10 drops green liquid food colouring) to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

  • Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.

  • Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

  • Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties (Smarties, to decorate).

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Recipe Notes

What goes into the best gingerbread cookies or biscuits?

To make the best gingerbread dough for optimal chewy gingerbread cookies or biscuits, we use brown sugar (or dark brown sugar) and golden syrup for a molasses-y depth, and ensure our gingerbread cookie dough is soft and chewy, and chilled before we roll it out with a rolling pin onto the prepared baking sheets. There are few things more delicious than soft gingerbread cookies, and to make these, chilled cookie dough is required. This helps ensure you get the perfect gingerbread men shapes from your cookie cutters.

What's the best thing to use as glue to decorate gingerbread?

While many people use royal icing (made with icing sugar) to stick Smarties and decorative flair on their gingerbread men, our Food Director recommends using melted white chocolate (specifically Nestle) because melted white chocolate dries quickly and sticks well to your gingerbread cookie or biscuit. That makes it perfect for gingerbread houses. or christmas tree gingerbread. Let the lightly golden biccies cool completely on a wire rack before you ice them too. You can use a small piping bag fitted with a nozzle if it makes things easier for you. This really is a simple gingerbread recipe that our community of cooks love (which is why it consistently gets rated 5 stars).

Can you freeze gingerbread men?

Yes! Although gingerbread men are most delicious when they're fresh, you can freeze the baked gingerbread men for a few months in an air-tight container. Or, you can keep the cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for a week, or in the fridge for two weeks. If you'd like to get ahead, you can also freeze the gingerbread dough for up to three months. To freeze gingerbread dough, create small flat discs of dough balls and wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Then thaw them at room temperature until they're able to be easily rolled out.

Can I use this gingerbread recipe to make other shapes?

Of course! You can use any cookie cutter, be it Christmas-themed or otherwise, to make gingerbread. Many people wonder how to decorate gingerbread, but when it comes to this fun-filled baking activity, there are no rules. You can use icing or icing pens, sprinkles, lollies and more to dress your gingerbread biscuits.

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Australia's #1 gingerbread men recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the problem in The Gingerbread Man story? ›

In the Gingerbread Man, the problem is that no one can catch the gingerbread man. The solution is that the fox tricks the gingerbread man and finally catches him. So to recap, most stories have characters, a setting, a problem and a solution.

What is the original gingerbread man? ›

1875 story

In the 1875 St. Nicholas tale, a childless old woman bakes a gingerbread man, who leaps from her oven and runs away. The woman and her husband give chase, but are unable to catch him. The gingerbread man then outruns several farm workers, farm men, and farm animals.

Why are my gingerbread men so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Who was the first person to make a gingerbread man? ›

The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits was at the court of Elizabeth I of England. She had the gingerbread figures made and presented in the likeness of some of her important guests which brought the human shape of the gingerbread cookies.

Is The Gingerbread Man a dark story? ›

What's the Moral? The gingerbread man story's moral is slightly dark for a fable meant for children: Be careful who you trust. The cookie believed the fox when he said he wasn't tempted to eat him—this misguided trust led to the protagonist's downfall.

How does the gingerbread man story end? ›

Soon, the fox said, You're too heavy for my back, jump onto my nose.” So the gingerbread man jumped on the fox's nose. But as soon as they reached the riverbank, the fox flipped the gingerbread man into the air, snapped his mouth shut, and ate the gingerbread man . And that was the end of the gingerbread man .

What country did gingerbread come from? ›

Food historians trace the origins of gingerbread back to the ancient Egyptians, who used it for ceremonial purposes. The ancient Greeks followed suit with the first known recipe for gingerbread around 2400 B.C.

What country did the gingerbread man come from? ›

In the 16th century, the English replaced the breadcrumbs with flour, and added eggs and sweeteners, resulting in a lighter product. The first gingerbread man is credited to Queen Elizabeth I, who knocked the socks off visiting dignitaries by presenting them with one baked in their own likeness.

Who tried to eat the gingerbread man? ›

“Catch the gingerbread man” shouted the old man to the pigs. “You've all got four legs and can run fast! Run and catch him, run and catch him”. The pigs saw the gingerbread man and tried to eat him.

Should gingerbread men be soft or crunchy? ›

Don't overbake them.

The cookies should still be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. Most regular-sized gingerbread cookies will take 9-10 minutes, but you might need a little more or less time depending on whether your cookie cutters are small or extra large.

How do you know when gingerbread men are done? ›

Gingerbread Cookies are done when they are set and begin to brown slightly at the edges. They will harden further as they cool, so avoid overbaking so you don't end up with hard, crunchy gingerbread! Underbake slightly to achieve soft, slightly chewy gingerbread cookies.

How long do gingerbread man last? ›

The general rule of thumb is a couple of weeks. It depends how its prepared and if you used a lot of icing. Also, gingerbread like any other bread turns stale quite fast. Eating it after 1–2 week with tea shouldn't be a problem.

What is the name of the gingerbread man in Shrek? ›

The Gingerbread Man, known as Gingy, is voiced by Conrad Vernon, and references the fairy tale of the runaway cookie. In the first film, Shrek. Lord Farquaad kidnaps him and tortures him for information, but Gingy refuses to reveal Shrek's location.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

Who is the gingerbread girl? ›

"The Gingerbread Girl" follows the story of Em, who after suffering a devastating loss, starts running. Soon Em runs from her husband and her home all the way to the airport. Looking for solace, Em's running takes her to the Florida Gulf where she settles into the loneliest stretch of Vermillion Key.

What is the problem in the gingerbread girl? ›

The genre of the book is fiction. The problems are that the old couple were lonely from the gingerbread boy. Another problem was that the fox wanted to eat the gingerbread girl.

What is the meaning of the gingerbread story? ›

Although a bit dark and twisted, the moral of the gingerbread man is an important one: Be careful who you trust. The sweet confection was tempted by a clever fox which led to his downfall.

What is the resolution in the gingerbread man? ›

The falling action in the gingerbread man is when the gingerbread man meets the fox. That's when things get hairy. Resolution a firm decision to do or not to do something. The Resolution of the story the gingerbread man is when the fox eats the gingerbread man.

Why did The Gingerbread Boy run away? ›

Synopsis: A gingerbread boy runs away from the woman who made him and her husband. The Gingerbread Boy meets a cow and talks briefly with it and then runs away from it when it tries to eat him. A horse in a pasture tries to eat the Gingerbread Boy and does not prove quick enough.

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