Mary Berry’s Gingerbread Cookie Dough

Gingerbread cookies are a family favourite in my home any time of the year. I have a variety of cookie cutters and my youngest daughter has so much fun picking out the novelty designs to use with the basic gingerbread cookie dough mix.

The most recent time that we used this mix was for Halloween where we made an abundance of Halloween cookies to hand out to the children who knocked our door for trick or treat.

I have two nephews who love these cookies so much that when they are given out to their parents as part of the Christmas hamper that I prepare, their mother has to hide them from them!

I also make a batch of this gingerbread dough for another nephew who has sleepovers at my home.  Both he and my daughter have so much fun decorating the various shaped cookies.  The dough is so versatile and can me made as spicy or mild as your taste buds prefer.  It can also be made well in advance and wrapped in plastic and kept in the refrigerator until needed.  This is the perfect recipe for those of you that are creative enough to make a gingerbread house.

I have tried many gingerbread recipes in the past but my all-time favourite has to be from the queen of cakes herself, Mary Berry.

• 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g/4½oz butter
• 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar
• 1 free-range egg
• 4 tbsp golden syrup

To decorate

• writing icing
• cake decorations

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
2. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
4. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.

Happy bakin’

Debb