This easy gingerbread recipe makes soft, gently spiced gingerbread men that hold their shape, and it's the one we bake every single December. If you're in the festive mood, try my quick Chocolate Rocky Road or classic 3 Ingredient Shortbread next.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Easy Gingerbread
🕒 Ready In: 88 minutes (including 1 hour chilling)
👪 Makes: 30 biscuits
🍚 Calories: 114kcal per biscuit
🥣 Main Ingredients: butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, egg yolk, plain flour, ground ginger, mixed spice
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, make-ahead dough, freezer-friendly, Thermomix method included
⭐ Why You'll Love It: A soft, no-spread dough that's easy for little hands to roll, cut and decorate!
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Great recipe, especially for kids. Not overpowering in taste and easy to make.
- Enomis
For those soft, bendy-in-the-middle biscuits everyone fights over, it's all about balance. Brown sugar keeps them moist, golden syrup adds that caramel warmth, and there's just enough spice to taste like Christmas without scaring off little taste buds.
This Aussie classic uses pantry staples, rolls out cleanly and doesn't spread, so your stars, trees and gingerbread men keep all their details. Planning a big baking afternoon? Pop a batch of White Christmas Slice or Chocolate Christmas Puddings on the list too.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Soft and kid-friendly: gentle ginger spice, a chewy centre and crisp edges.
- Holds its shape: no spreading, so you get sharp edges for decorating.
- Easy to roll: the dough is lovely to work with, even with little helpers!
- Make-ahead friendly: chill or freeze the dough and bake fresh when you need it.
- Perfect Christmas gifts: wrap them in cellophane and tie with a festive ribbon.
- Thermomix or conventional: both methods are in the recipe card below.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Gingerbread Ingredients
- Variations
- How To Make Super Easy Gingerbread
- Making Gingerbread In The Thermomix
- Top Tip
- How To Stop Gingerbread Spreading
- Decorating Gingerbread Men
- Make Ahead And Storage
- Recipe Tips
- Easy Gingerbread Recipe FAQs
- More Christmas Recipes For Kids
- Easy Gingerbread Recipe
Gingerbread Ingredients
You only need simple pantry ingredients for this gingerbread. Here are the ones worth a quick note:
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Brown sugar: light brown sugar keeps the flavour mellow and kid-friendly. Dark brown sugar gives a deeper caramel flavour.
- Golden syrup: gives that classic Aussie flavour and helps the dough hold its shape.
- Egg yolk: just the yolk makes a richer, tender biscuit that rolls and cuts cleanly.
- Ground ginger and mixed spice: together they give that smells-like-Christmas flavour without being too strong.
- Bi-carb soda: just a little gives some lift without puffing up your cut-out shapes.
Variations
- Extra spicy gingerbread: add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves. One reader adds cinnamon to hers every time!
- Gluten free: swap the plain flour for a good quality gluten free plain flour. Readers have made this successfully with gluten free flour. The dough will be a little softer, so chill it well and roll it between baking paper.
- Dairy free: use a dairy free baking spread (one of our readers uses Nuttelex) and chill the dough well for neat edges.
- Molasses or treacle: use instead of golden syrup for a darker, stronger biscuit. A reader who tried molasses found it more of a grown-up flavour, so stick with golden syrup if you're baking for kids.
- Honey: gives a lighter flavour, but the biscuits may spread a little more.
How To Make Super Easy Gingerbread
These are short, fool-proof steps, perfect for baking Christmas biscuits with the kids. The full recipe card is below, with both conventional and Thermomix methods.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Cream. Beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the golden syrup and egg yolk.
- Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, mixed spice, ginger, bi-carb soda and a pinch of salt until it forms a soft dough.
- Step 3: Chill. Knead the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and chill for 1 hour. This is the secret to clean shapes!
- Step 4: Roll and cut. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until it's 3 to 4mm thick. Cut out your shapes and place them about 4cm apart on lined trays.
- Step 5: Bake. Bake at 180°C fan forced for 8 to 10 minutes until just lightly golden. Cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Making Gingerbread In The Thermomix
Team Thermomix? The dough is made in one bowl in under 2 minutes:
- Mix: add all the ingredients (except the decorations) and mix for 15 seconds on Speed 6.
- Knead: scrape down the sides of the bowl, then knead on Interval for 1 minute.
- Chill, roll and bake: then chill, roll, cut and bake exactly like the conventional method.
Top Tip
For soft gingerbread, take them out when the edges are only just turning golden. They'll firm up as they cool.
How To Stop Gingerbread Spreading
This dough is made to hold its shape, but a warm kitchen can still cause a little spreading. Here's how to keep your gingerbread men looking sharp:
- Chill the dough for the full hour: cold dough holds its shape in the oven.
- Chill the cut shapes too: if your kitchen is warm, pop the tray of cut shapes in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.
- Roll between baking paper: you won't need extra flour, so the edges stay neat.
- Leave space: place the shapes about 4cm apart on the tray.
- Stick with golden syrup: honey tends to make the biscuits spread a little more.
Decorating Gingerbread Men
This is the best bit for the kids! Wait until the biscuits are completely cool, then use a white icing pen or melted white chocolate to pipe on faces and squiggles. Red and green M&Ms make perfect buttons. For neat lines that set hard, use my Royal Icing.
Want more Christmas biscuits to decorate? My Easy Sugar Cookies and Reindeer Biscuits are always a hit.
Make Ahead And Storage
Make the dough ahead: wrap it well and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours (one reader left hers overnight and it worked perfectly). If you want to make it more than a day ahead, freeze it instead.
Freeze the dough: wrap it well and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then roll and bake. If it's very firm, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.
Store baked gingerbread: keep it in an airtight container in a cool pantry for up to 1 week, decorated or undecorated.
Freeze baked gingerbread: undecorated biscuits can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the container to avoid condensation, then decorate. They make a lovely addition to my Homemade Christmas Food Gifts.
Recipe Tips
- Thickness guide: roll to 3 to 4mm for soft biscuits or 5mm for extra bendy ones. Thinner biscuits will be crisper.
- Tiny cutters bake faster: start checking them at 5 to 6 minutes.
- Don't overbake: overbaked gingerbread turns crisp, so take it out when it's only just golden.
- Decorate once cool: icing and chocolate will melt on warm biscuits.
Easy Gingerbread Recipe FAQs
Bake just until lightly golden, then cool on the trays. Overbaking makes them crisp. Store in an airtight container once fully cool.
Yes! Chilling firms up the butter, so your shapes don't spread and the dough rolls neatly.
The dough was most likely too warm. Chill it for the full hour, roll it between baking paper and pop the cut shapes in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm.
Absolutely! Refrigerate it for up to 24 hours or freeze it for up to 1 month. If it's very firm, rest it for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
Baked gingerbread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Undecorated biscuits can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Roll it to 3 to 4mm thick for soft gingerbread men, or 5mm for extra bendy ones. Thinner biscuits will be crisper.
Yes! Readers have used this dough to make gingerbread houses and it worked beautifully.
Royal icing for neat lines that set hard, or melted white chocolate for a quick, kid-friendly option. Mini M&M's or cachous make great buttons.
Use light molasses or treacle for a stronger flavour and darker colour. Honey works but gives a lighter taste and can cause a touch more spread.
Yes! Swap the plain flour for a good quality gluten free plain flour. Chill the dough well and roll it between sheets of baking paper, as it will be a little softer.
More Christmas Recipes For Kids
Whether you've got a budding little chef at home, or you're after a fun holiday activity, these kid-friendly Christmas recipes are perfect to make with the kids!
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Easy Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g (⅔ cup) butter softened to room temperature
- 100 g (½ cup) brown sugar firmly packed
- 150 g (½ cup) golden syrup see notes for substitutes
- 1 egg yolk
- 375 g (2 ½ cups) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 tbs ground ginger see notes
- 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
For the decorations
- white icing pen (or melted white chocolate)
- red and green M&Ms
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Use a hand-held beater or stand mixed to cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy.
- Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined.
- Stir through the plain flour, mixed spice, ground ginger, bi-carbonate soda and a pinch of salt.
- Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead into a ball. Wrap in cling wrap and place into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 3-4mm thick. Use your choice of cutters (gingerbread man, Christmas tree, stars etc) to cut out shapes.
- Place onto the prepared trays (about 4cm apart) and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly golden (do not overcook).
- Allow to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once they've completely cooled, decorate with red & green M&Ms and a white icing pen (or melted white chocolate).
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Thermomix Method
- Place all ingredients (except for the decorations) into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then knead on Interval function for 1 minute.
- Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead into a ball. Wrap in cling wrap and place into the fridge for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 3-4mm thick.
- Use your choice of cutters (gingerbread man, Christmas tree, stars etc) to cut out shapes.
- Place onto the prepared trays (about 4cm apart) and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly golden (do not overcook).
- Allow to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once they've completely cooled, decorate with red & green M&Ms and a white icing pen (or melted white chocolate).
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- No-spread insurance: Chill the dough and the cut shapes on the tray for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm.
- Rolling trick: Always roll between baking paper-no extra flour = no dusty tops and neater edges.
- Thickness guide: 3-4mm for soft, 5mm for extra bendy; thinner = crisper.
- Tiny cutters bake fast: start checking at 5-6 minutes.
- Decorating day: Royal icing sets hard and won't soften the biscuits; melted white chocolate is the kid-easy option.
- Storage: airtight container, cool pantry, up to 1 week (undecorated or decorated).
- Freeze dough: wrap well and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then roll and bake.
- Freeze baked biscuits: undecorated cookies freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in a container to avoid condensation; decorate after thawing.
Karina says
Yes I use nettelex and Gluten Free plain flour all of the time.
Sharlene says
Has anyone tried this with Dairy free butter?