My favourite holiday cookie is the time old classic, the Gingerbread Man. In Christmases past, my mum and I would bake our own Gingerbread family, and I would go to town decorating my Gingerbread version of me.  Fast-forward 20 years and very little has changed except that now instead of decorating just one cookie, I bake and style one too many!

To make your own batch, follow my super simple and uber scrumptious recipe:

3 cups of all-purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp ground Ginger
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 tsp All Spice
1/2 cup unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup granulated White Sugar
3/4 cup Molasses (or use 1 cup Honey or 3/4 cup Brown Sugar plus 1/3 cup Water).
1 large Egg
In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients together and whisk so that they are blended evenly.  In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer beat the butter and white sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Then add the egg and molasses and beat until the mixture is well combined. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients, mixing well.


When the dough looks ready, split it in equal halves and cover each half with plastic wrap. Place the dough on a baking tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C), and place the rack in the centre of the oven.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough it until the texture softens a bit. WIth a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of roughly 1/4 inch.

Cut out the cookies with the Gingerbread Man cutter and place them on a non stick baking sheet 2 cm apart to avoid sticking. If you don't have a non-stick sheet, not to worry, line your baking sheet with parchment (wax) paper.

Depending on the size of your cookies, baking time is anywhere from 8-12 minutes. Small cookies will take 8 minutes whereas large cookies can take up to 12 minutes. A good indication that the cookies are done is when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. Once done, remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



Spoon icing into a piping bag and start decorating your cooled cookies! If you don't have a piping bag, make your own by spooning icing into a plastic sandwich bag and snipping a small hole at the corner - it works just the same.



Share and enjoy your creations with family and friends! What are some of your holiday baking memories?

by Oendrila Majumder