Hello dear reader,

I was keen to make some gingerbread biscuits this year, especially when I spotted gingerbread reindeer all over the place!  Here’s mine…

I made up a new recipe as I wanted a biscuit that would be softer than a regular gingerbread biscuit, which I sometimes find teeth-shatteringly hard.  I also wanted a biscuit with more depth of flavour.  The recipe I have come up with results in a biscuit that is still firm enough to hold and decorate but soft enough to easily bite!  It is also a little gem, in that the same recipe can be used to make gingerbread cake!

“Soft” Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
This recipe is enough for about 15 gingerbread men.
I recommend making double the recipe and I will share with you over the next few days what to do with the extras!

6 oz butter
4 oz light brown soft sugar
3 oz dark brown soft sugar
zest of ½ lemon and ½ orange
juice of ½ orange
4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
14 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in citrus zest, juice, honey and eggs.  Sieve the remaining ingredients together and gradually beat into the creamed mixture.   Spoon onto plastic wrap, wrap up and chill in fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 160°C.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to about 3mm thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes and place on a non-stick baking sheet.  Put the whole sheet in the freezer for ten minutes (this stops the biscuits spreading too much during cooking).  Bake for 6 minutes, then turn tray and bake a further 4 minutes.  Allow to cool and harden in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.   Decorate once completely cold and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Gingerbread reindeer are made by simply turning a gingerbread man upside down to decorate!

Here they are with all their friends…

The reindeer family at Christmas…

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You can, of course, stick with the traditional gingerbread man…

Or how about a father and son…

Since I’m in Scotland, here’s my little Scottish gingerbread man in traditional Highland dress!

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Have you made any gingerbread cookies this year?  I’d love to know what shapes you made and how you decorated them – please do leave me a comment below!

Vohn

x

P.S.  Here are my reindeer in their pretty star-covered bags wrapped up as Christmas gifts for the kiddies in my life…

I am entering these into the Family Foodies blogger’s challenge run by Louisa at Eat Your Veg and Vanesther at Bangers & Mash, as their theme this month is “Kids Christmas”!

I am also entering the Calendar Cakes bloggers challenge, run by Laura Loves Cakes and Dolly Bakes.  Their theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock and what can be more rocking’ than edible Rudolphs?!

Finally I am entering the Let’s Cook Christmas Party Food event being run by Nayna over at simply.food

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UPDATE – I am so chuffed to tell you that my gingerbread reindeer won the  Family Foodies “Kids Christmas” blogger’s challenge run by Louisa at Eat Your Veg and Vanesther at Bangers & Mash!  Here’s my winner’s badge – ain’t it cute!

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