Ultimate Gingerbread Dough Recipe

There’s something magical about the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread wafting through your home, especially during the cooler months or festive season (like Chistmas or Easter). Whether you’re crafting a gingerbread house, cutting out adorable cookies, or simply craving a nostalgic treat, this Ultimate Gingerbread Dough Recipe is your go-to. It’s easy to work with, packed with warming spices, and yields perfectly soft yet sturdy results. Keep reading to discover how to make this versatile dough and learn some pro tips to ensure gingerbread perfection every time.

My Mum loved gingerbread houses. I made them for her, but she didn’t like them covered with lollies. To take care of the kiddies in the family, I add the lollies or fondant icing to the cookies and other smaller items. Each time I make the gingerbread houses, I use a different design. I think she liked the churches best. This Gingerbread recipe (with Thermomix and Conventional methods) makes a dough that allows you to be creative (perhaps for a festive season), and as an extra reward your friends and family get to taste the fruits of your labour (literally).

Gingerbread church

This recipe keeps extremely well without any additives. After baking, allow your shapes to cool on the tray for a few minutes to let them set up,  then remove them to a cooling rack so they can finish cooling.

Gingerbread tree

The gingerbread tree is quite easy when you know how. You can purchase cutters for them everywhere when we’re nearing Christmas time. You need to get a set that varies from large to small and preferably has around 8 in the collection. Cut out one of each star if there are 8 to 10 cutters or two of each if there is only 4 or 5.

If you want simple, bake your cookies, and once they’re cool use fondant or ready-rolled icing to cover them using the same cookie cutters, you cut the cookies from. Make a simple sugar syrup (50/50 water sugar heated until the sugar is dissolved) and brush this on the cookies to stick the fondant down.

Now all you need to do is stack them on top of each other using the sugar syrup as glue. Use the smallest star on its end for the top. To decorate and to stick the top star, I used royal icing, coloured fondant balls, edible glitter and some snowflakes also cut from fondant. They’re not particularly hard to make and great as a table centrepiece (that can be eaten).

How do you like your Gingerbread?

If you prefer your gingerbread soft, bake it until you notice the first signs of colour. The exact time may vary depending on the size of the cookie. Small stars may take 8-10 minutes, while larger stars may take 10-15 minutes to bake. Then there’s the side wall of a gingerbread house, which could take up to 20 minutes or longer if it’s large and thick.

As you probably gathered from above, for a firmer texture, bake the gingerbread until it turns a deep golden brown. After removing them from the oven, allow them to firm up on a cooling rack. This will result in gingerbread that snaps rather than bends, making it perfect for constructing gingerbread houses, churches, trees, and more. Your imagination is the only limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note – Both Thermomix and Conventional Recipes are listed in separate recipe cards below.

Gingerbread dough – Thermomix

4.78 from 9 votes

5 stars tells us you love the recipe

becs-table.com.au

Gingerbread that you can eat or build with (and then eat). Lasts for a few months if kept airtight. This makes approx 80 biscuits, or two of the trees, or 12 little reindeer, or a bunch of Easter rabbits.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Difficulty Easy

Course Christmas, Easter

Cuisine European

Servings 20

Method Thermomix

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Equipment

• 1 Thermomix

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 100 g golden syrup
• 180 g Castor sugar
• 150 g unsalted butter
• 5 g Ground cloves
• 10 g Cinnamon
• 5 g ginger
• 1 Egg Whole
• 400 g Plain Flour
• 5 g Bicarbonate of Soda

Instructions

 

Want this as a Thermomix® guided recipe?

• Click here to send the recipe to Cookidoo. After clicking the link, log into Cookidoo and select "Make today", pop it in your calendar or "Save" the recipe. We also have video instructions for adding this recipe to Cookidoo.
• Read the whole method before you start.
• Take the first six ingredients and weigh them into your Thermomix bowl. 8 mins/100 c/speed 2.
• Allow to cool till at least 50°c.
• Add 1 Whole egg and mix on speed 3 / 3 sec
• Weigh in your 400g Plain Flour and 5g Bicarbonate of Soda, mix on speed 5 / 5 sec just to bring the mix together. It will be sticky at this stage; don't worry
• Use the interval speed (dough mode) for 2 mins; then you’re done.

  Wooot, how easy is that and not one sticky finger. 😂😂

  Remove the dough onto a lightly floured bench and knead till it all comes together.

  Wrap it in plastic wrap, or put it in a sealed container and sit it in the fridge overnight for the flavours and texture to develop. Or longer if you like; you've got about a week to work with it. And fear not, tomorrow it will be much easier to work with as long as you leave it to come to room temperature first.
• On the day you choose to bake your gingerbread, you will need to remove it from the fridge and let it rest for a bit till it softens enough to roll out. It will feel quite hard straight from the fridge but don't worry a little bit of massaging will soften it up and make it an excellent dough to work with.
• Roll your dough to around 5mm thick and cut shapes. See my notes for more ideas

Notes

Bec’s Tips:

• I Bake these at 150°c (convection oven) and pull them out just as they start to colour. There isn’t any specific time I can give because it depends on what size shapes you are baking and your oven.
• Little cookies may take 12 to 15 mins, but the walls of a gingerbread house could take 15 to 25 mins.
• Don’t put large cookies and small cookies on the same baking sheet or the little ones could burn while waiting for the larger ones to cook through. 

For Thermomix owners:

• You can double the mix, but it is a lot.  I’ve done it many times, but you’ll have to use your TM spatula through the hole in the lid to help keep everything moving.  Mixing it while it’s still warm helps as well.
• Don’t overbake your dough, or it will become too crisp, (unless that’s what you’re going for) the dough is quite strong, strong enough to make houses out of but deliciously tender for eating.
• This recipe is a commercial one so you won’t have any problems as long as you follow the recipe.  Make sure you rest it overnight in the fridge then bring it out to come to room temp before you start rolling it out.  You will be cursing at it if you try to roll it out straight after making it.
• This Gingerbread will last for months in cello bags or in airtight containers. 
• I often make Christmas tree decorations out of it, pop them in cello bags and hang them on the Christmas tree. We’re still eating them at New Year when we’re taking the tree down.

Gingerbread dough – Conventional

4.45 from 9 votes

5 stars tells us you love the recipe

becs-table.com.au

Gingerbread that you can eat or build with (and then eat). Lasts for a few months if kept airtight. This makes approx 80 biscuits, or two of the trees, or 12 little reindeer, or a bunch of Easter rabbits.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Difficulty Easy

Course Christmas, Easter

Cuisine European

Servings 20

Method Conventional

Cook ModePrevent your screen going blank

Share with Email

Equipment

• 1 Stand mixer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 100 g Golden syrup
• 180 g Castor sugar
• 400 g Plain Flour
• 5 g Ground Cloves
• 10 g Cinnamon
• 5 g ginger
• 5 g Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1 whole egg
• 150 g Unsalted butter

Instructions

 

• Add the golden syrup, butter, castor sugar, cloves, cinnamon and ginger together in a pot, bring to the boil. Then turn off and allow to cool.
• Mix the egg, breaking the yolk then add to the boiled mix when cool. It’s easier to work with the syrup mix while it’s still a little warm, between 37°c and 50°c is fine.
• Sieve the dry ingredients together
• Make a bay and pour half the warm liquid into the bay
• Slowly bring the dry ingredients into the liquid, forming a thick slurry before breaking sides of the bay
• Mix until all the flour is mixed through
• This mix will seem pasty at this stage; you need to wrap the dough in plastic and leave it overnight to mature.
• Because it’s been in the fridge, the dough will be quite hard. You can either leave it to come to room temp or knead it to get it to come together. Once you start rolling, it will be easy to work with.

Notes

I Bake these at 150°c (fan) and pull them out just as they start to colour.  There isn’t any specific time I can give because it depends on what size shapes you are baking and your oven. 

Little cookies may take 12 to 15 mins, but the walls of a gingerbread house could take 15 to 25 mins.

Don’t put large cookies and small cookies on the same baking sheet or the little ones could burn while waiting for the larger ones to cook through.

Now go have some fun…