How long does Gingerbread men take to make?

It takes about 123 minutes in total.

Which allergens does Gingerbread men contain?

It contains cereals containing gluten, milk and eggs. Always check the labels of the products you use.

How long does Gingerbread men keep in the fridge?

Up to 4 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.

Gingerbread men

Name: Gingerbread men
Cook time: 123 min
Total time: 123 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 350 g Wheat flour; 100 g Butter; 1 u Egg; 1 pinch Salt; 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice; 150 g Brown Sugar; 4 tablespoons Golden Syrup; 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate Of Soda; 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; 250 g Icing Sugar; 1 u Egg White; 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger; 1 pinch Cloves; 1 handful Currants

Galletas de jengibre

Easy

Contains allergens

Cereales con glutenLecheHuevos

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 2 hr
Servings: 10

Summary

An easy recipe for 10 servings. It takes about 123 minutes to make. It is vegetarian and nut-free.

The gingerbread men of a British Christmas: biscuits crisp outside and slightly soft inside, with ginger, cinnamon and golden syrup, decorated with royal icing. An easy dough to make with children.

Ingredients

10 servings

350 g Wheat flour (plus extra for rolling)
100 g Butter
1 u Egg (beaten)
1 pinch Salt
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
150 g Brown Sugar (light)
4 tablespoons Golden Syrup (or honey)
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate Of Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon (ground)
250 g Icing Sugar (for the icing)
1 u Egg White (pasteurised (about 30 g), for the icing)
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 pinch Cloves (ground) (optional)
1 handful Currants (for eyes and buttons) (optional)

Instructions

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a large bowl.
3 min
Melt the butter with the brown sugar and syrup in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, without letting it boil. Take it off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
7 min
Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients, add the egg and stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Knead briefly on the worktop, just until smooth.
5 min
Divide the dough into two flat discs, wrap them in cling film and chill until firm, at least half an hour.
30 min
Heat the oven to 180 °C conventional (160 °C fan) and line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between two sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm thick.
10 min
Cut out the figures, lift them onto the trays 2 cm apart and gather up the trimmings to re-roll. Press in currants for eyes and buttons if you like, and make a hole in the head if you plan to hang them.
10 min
Bake one tray at a time for about 10 minutes, until golden and just starting to darken at the edges. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes, as they break easily when hot, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
30 min
For the royal icing, whisk the egg white until frothy, then add the sifted icing sugar a little at a time, followed by the lemon juice, whisking until white, glossy and holding stiff peaks. Cover with a damp cloth so it does not crust.
8 min
Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a fine nozzle, or a food bag with one corner snipped off, and decorate the cooled biscuits: faces, buttons, scarves or an outline. If it is too thick, add a few drops of water; if too runny, more icing sugar. Leave the icing to set for a few hours before storing.
20 min

Notes

In the UK gingerbread men are sold at Christmas fairs and markets all through December, and many families bake them together during Advent to give as presents or hang on the tree. These quantities make about 20 gingerbread men 12 cm tall, or over 30 with a small cutter. If you want to hang them, make a hole in the head with a straw before baking. Golden syrup is the British classic; with honey they come out a little softer and brown sooner, so keep an eye on them. Don't skip chilling the dough: freshly made it is soft and loses its shape when cut. Bake until the edges start to darken; they seem soft when they come out of the oven but firm up as they cool, and if overbaked they turn bitter. Royal icing is made with raw egg white, so use pasteurised egg white from a carton if young children, pregnant women or elderly people will eat them. Holiday plan: the dough keeps for three days wrapped in the fridge and three months in the freezer; undecorated biscuits freeze well too. Once decorated they keep for about two weeks in an airtight tin, layered with baking paper. If they soften, five minutes in the oven at 150 °C will crisp them up again, as long as they are not yet decorated.

More information

Guide indicatorsDifficulty, quality and data reliability

Guide indicators

Estimated difficulty74/100
Recipe completeness65/100
Nutrition reliability: Medium

Calculated automatically from the ingredients, steps, time and community feedback. They are not a guarantee.

StorageKeeps 4 days in the fridge

Cuisine: BritishKeeps 4 days in the fridgeFreezer friendlyGood for batch cooking

Frequently asked questions

How long does Gingerbread men take to make?: It takes about 123 minutes in total.
Which allergens does Gingerbread men contain?: It contains cereals containing gluten, milk and eggs. Always check the labels of the products you use.
How long does Gingerbread men keep in the fridge?: Up to 4 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.
Which diets is this recipe suitable for?: It is vegetarian and nut-free.