Gingerbread Biscuits

It wouldn’t be Christmas time without some gingerbread featuring on the menu. So many different countries have a traditional gingerbread themed recipe that features in the festive season. And it makes total sense, it’s such a warm and cosy biscuit but one that can be turned into a pretty decorated delight.

These scrumptious spiced cookies are just the thing to snack on after ice skating or Christmas shopping. In my opinion they’re the culinary equivalent of the Christmas jumper – cosy, comforting, fun but also silly ( depending on shape chosen) if you want them to be!

This isn’t the kind of gingerbread to make houses from, rather it’s the kind of gingerbread that can be made soft and moorish or crisp and worthy of fancy decoration. We like it on the softer side, decorated with pearl sugar crystals pressed into the dough before baking, or with fondant icing attached after baking. It’s so moorish that it never lasts long in our house! I particularly like making the tiny cookies and serving bowlful a with mugs of steaming hot chocolate – the ultimate luxury after getting cold outside! I have to say that Father Christmas is also rather fond of them too, it makes a nice change from all those mince pies and goes wonderfully well with any of his drinks of choice!

Gingerbread Biscuits

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free sesame-free, can be soya-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes 12-15 large or loads of tiny!

50g dairy-free margarine

20g soya cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

75g soft brown sugar

2 tbsps golden syrup

20ml dairy-free milk

170g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1-1.5 tsps ground ginger

icing sugar

roll out icing or pearl sugar

1. Cream together the dairy-free spread, soya cream cheese, sugar, syrup and soya milk.
2. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger. Knead into a soft dough.
3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. if using pearl sugar, press into the dough before baking
4. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 12 minutes at 190 degrees centigrade (5 minutes for tiny shapes)
5. Cool on the sheet a little before transferring to a wire rack
6. Roll out the icing and cut out with the same cookie cutter. Spread a little icing sugar/water mix in each cookie to attach the icing.