Gingerbread Recipe To Make With Your Kids

Creativity in the kitchen comes naturally to Alessia, and there’s no better time of year to let this creativity shine than during the winter holiday season. In fact, ever since she could walk, Alessia has been helping her me create one of our most beloved holiday traditions – baking and decorating delicious, fresh gingerbread men! 

Spending family time in the kitchen together is such a great way to create lasting, joyful holiday memories while teaching creative life skills to your family. These days, we couldn’t imagine a Christmas without the joy this tradition brings to our lives, so we want to share our secret to delicious gingerbread here with our global family at AlessiaAdora.

Alessia is always responsible for adding just the right balance of natural spices and seasonings to the gingerbread mix, and throughout the years, we have tried and tested a multitude of gingerbread cookies recipes. Alessia loves sharing her gingerbread men with friends and family – and she never fails to get rave reviews. In fact, Alessia’s friends have told us that they think this recipe is some of the yummiest gingerbread they have ever tasted!

Want to know what all the fuss is about? Just follow this recipe to see for yourself how magical these charming gingerbread creations can be!

GINGERBREAD GOODNESS

What smells more Christmas than freshly baked handmade gingerbread in the oven? This is the ideal easy gingerbread recipe for kids to prepare over the holiday season. And because this recipe is so simple, children will enjoy making and designing these gingerbread cookies.

It's a lot of pleasure to do something that is a part of your family's history. Gingerbread has been around since 2400 BC, and Europeans created their type of gingerbread in the late Middle Ages. Your grandparents most likely made gingerbread cookies before! Gingerbread homes were popular in the 16th century with the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel publication. Simultaneously, gingerbread became linked with Christmas, and numerous customs began to involve gingerbread cookies and homes.

Children look forward to some Christmas traditions, including decorating the tree, visiting Santa, singing Christmas songs, and watching Nativity play. And creating traditional Christmas sweets with my kids, such as these gingerbread men, goes right along with that.

This recipe is so easy that it's ideal for preparing with kids and family. It also makes an excellent Christmas present. Although these gingerbread recipes scream Christmas every time, they can be made at any time of year.

This gingerbread recipe yields delicate cookies with just the right amount of ginger flavor. Of course, if you want your gingerbread cookies to ‘snap' when broken, add a little additional flour and bake them for a little longer.

Country of Origin: Ancient British/American Cuisine

Cook time: 30 minutes + 10 minutes baking

Ingredients:

• One large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 350 g plain flour
• 175 g light or dark brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp molasses
• 100 g butter

For the decoration

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• smarties, jelly tots

Step by Step Instructions on Making Gingerbread

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius
• Greaseproof paper should be used to line three baking sheets.
• Fill a large mixing bowl halfway with flour.
• Weigh the butter and cut it into small pieces before combining it with the flour. Rub in the butter with your hands until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Measure out the sugar and mix it in with the flour, baking soda, and ginger. Pour in the molasses.
• Separately, crack the egg and add it to the flour.
• Stir all of the ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
• The recipe yields a large amount of dough, so split it in half and roll out one half on a lightly floured work surface until it is approximately 5mm thick.
• Cut out your gingerbread men with a cookie cutter or any other shape you have on hand. Place them on a baking sheet.
• Collect any leftovers and re-roll the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Bake till they have a darker color (10 -12 minutes baking time would do).
• You may eat the gingerbread cookies plain or decorate them with frosting.

 Best Tips for Success

• Use white whole wheat flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
• If the dough still appears a bit dry after mixing the liquid and butter into the flour, add another tablespoon of milk, but go easy on the juice since more will make the dough stickier. When you can form it into a ball, and it holds together, it's ready.
• If needed, place the dough in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help avoid sticking.
• Roll out the dough between sheets of parchment paper to prevent it from sticking. If you missed chilling the dough, this is a must.

Nutritional Value:

• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 5g
• Vitamin A: 184IU
• Vitamin C: 1mg
• Calcium: 43mg
• Cholesterol: 16mg
• Sodium: 67mg
• Potassium: 72mg
• Calories: 124kcal
• Carbohydrates: 16g
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 6g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Iron: 1mg