Easy Bake Gingerbread Cookies

I’d like to say that this delicious recipe for gingerbread has been passed down through my family for generations. I’d like to say that this recipe is a Christmas favourite, a family tradition. I’d like to say that we all gather around the kitchen in December and bake these cookies together with warm smiles and….

The truth is, like many folk in this spiralling madness that has been 2020, I have taken to experimental baking with accompanying bouts of rage at discovering all of the flour has been panic-bought. These gingerbread cookies are in fact, a by-product of being what I like to call, a ‘Corona Loner’. What is a Corona Loner I hear you cry? Someone like myself who lives alone and has had way too much time on their hands this year.

So, no, this gingerbread isn’t an age-old family recipe, nor is it a Christmas tradition. It’s a brand-new recipe that I decided to bake for the very first time last night. I had some leftover nutmeg, cloves and ginger that I had bought for a pumpkin pie recipe I made back in November. I thought some gingerbread would be the perfect excuse to use up these warming spices on a cold December evening.

I found a basic recipe online and modified it to fit the ingredients I had on hand, and to omit the ones I didn’t already have in the cupboard. I left out the huge lashings of treacle and swapped that for a small amount of ginger syrup and honey to reduce the sugar content. I swapped the ground ginger for chopped ginger to give the cookies a sharper hit and a chewier element. I also left out the bicarb of soda because, well, I didn’t have any in the cupboard and I have no idea what it does anyway! It can’t be that important, right?

I bet you’ve guessed by now that I am no expert baker. I love to cook, in fact, I’m rather good at it. I love to eat - I am exceptionally great at that! However, I rarely bake. I can tell you though, with an unashamed boast, that this is the best gingerbread I have ever tasted, and although I love a bad taste joke, I am fussy when it comes to good taste food. So, whether you’re a Corona Loner experimental baker like me, a lazy baker, a complete novice, or a Great British Bake Off champion, you will hopefully find this recipe easy to follow and delicious to devour!

Ingredients:

(Makes 15 phat cookies)

100g butter

130g caster sugar

2 tablespoons of diced stem ginger in syrup

1 tablespoon of ginger syrup (from the diced stem ginger jar)

2 teaspoons of runny honey

1 egg yolk

250g flour

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. Start by creaming your butter and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl. (I used a hand-held whisk because I’m hardcore as hell, but you can use a fancy machine since it’s 2020 and all that, and you probably need to conserve your energy before the aliens get here.) Once your flour and butter is blended and smooth, stir in your chopped ginger, ginger syrup, honey, and the egg yolk.

2. In a separate bowl, sift your flour, then add the salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. TIP: Go steady on the nutmeg, too much can give your cookies a soapy taste! Plus, nutmeg can become toxic in larger quantities. You don’t want the taste of a soapy poisoned paradise. You have been warned!

3. Slowly add your dry goods from step 2 into the wet mixture made in step 1, blend together until smooth. If the mixture gets a bit thick, you can add a tiny splash of water (don’t waterboard the dough though otherwise it will be sweaty and soggy and mad at you). Cover and chill for at least one hour. TIP: If there is no room in the fridge, leave the covered mixture in the porch or on the back step and make the most of this incredibly cold December weather! Unless you live in a hot country…then I cannot help you, you are on your own.

4. Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out - I like my cookies thick, to match my waist, so I will roll the dough to about ½ inch thickness. Cut the dough into your desired shape with a cookie cutter, I used a heart shape. Place your cookies on an ungreased baking tray, ensure you place them 5cm apart though, as those bad boys will spread.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven until they are firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

6. Try not to eat them all in one go. If you do though, I won’t judge you.