Gingerbread For Kids

Try our simple and easy recipe for entertaining kids by making these delicious and creative treats as Christmas approaches. Watch our slideshow for decoration ideas and read more for the recipe.

If you have visited our blog before you’ll know that we like to combine learning with fun and different subjects in the same activity. Whilst making our tasty gingerbread kids learn how to cook and can express themselves artistically. Working together they learn cooperation, but also hygiene, a bit of chemistry and physics too through the action of baking powder and heat in the cooking process. As this dough needs to rest overnight they also learn patience! Check out our slideshow before reading the recipe below.

Our gingerbread cookies make great presents for family and can be used as edible Christmas tree decorations.

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1200 g flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 500g  honey
  • 200g butter
  • 200g icing sugar (sieved)
  • 5 eggs (M size)
  • More icing sugar
  • water

You will need:

  • Bowls
  • Sieve
  • Cookie cutter(s)
  • Large baking sheets
  • Rolling pin

Method:

 

  1. Melt together the honey, butter and icing sugar then let cool.
  2. In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined.
  3. Pour the chilled butter-suger-honey mix into the flour
  4. Break 5 eggs into the flour too.
  5. Mix by hand and enjoy the feeling and the spice scents! If your dough is too sticky add additional flour.
  6. Place the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape Chill  for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.  (we always chill  overnight.)
  7. When you are ready to bake the cookies, make sure one of your oven racks is in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 170C.
  8. Line your cookie sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. (Alternatively lightly grease the cookie sheets with lard or cooking spray.)
  9. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick, getting it as even as you can.
  10. Cut with cookie cutters.(Cut close to each other with the cutters! Start on the edge (not in the middle!)
  11. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
  12. When you have cut as many cookies as you can, lightly press the cookie dough scraps together, re-roll the dough and cut out additional cookies.
  13. Bake for about 5-6 minutes or until they are slightly firm when you touch them lightly with your index finger. (You don’t want to let the edges brown or over-bake them or they will be very hard.) Bake similar sizes gingerbread together!
  14. When done, remove sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the cookies with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely.
  15. When cooled it is time to decorate.
  16. To make simple icing, simply mix icing sugar with a little water to form a running paste, experimentation will teach you what is best, so don’t make too much at first.
  17. Create a paper icing bag as described here. These are great as you cut the point off to make the size of the hole you want, if too small, cut further up a little, if too big make another one!
  18. USe your creativity to decorate, watch our above slideshow for ideas, of course, sprinkles, nuts, candies can all be added as decoration.
  19. Leave for about 30 minutes for the icing to set, but be careful when packing.

Enjoy!

Published by

Paul

Head of Client Communications