Gingerbread Decorating Day: Delicious gingerbread cookies to bake with your kid

The smell of freshly baked gingerbread can give a perfect start to Christmas festivities as every year Gingerbread Decorating Day is celebrated by children and adults on December 12. The day sets the tone for the holiday season by building excitement in children as they get to show their creative side. Gingerbread is any baked treat that combines ginger with honey and other ingredients like clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. One can bake gingerbread in any shape be it Santa, reindeer, hearts, stars, houses to name a few. After baking, it’s time to decorate it and that’s where you can use your creativity. From chocolate chips, candies, sprinkling sugars, sprinkles to different icings you can use anything to give your gingerbread a perfect finishing. (Also read: National Brownie Day recipes: Delicious melt-in-mouth brownies you must try)

It is believed that gingerbread was brought to Europe by the Armenian monk called Gregory of Nicopolis in the 10th century. He actually brought the spices from the Middle East and then started making gingerbread using spices and molasses. Gingerbread gained popularity with time and by 13th century nuns in Sweden started baking it for curing digestion issues.

As you gear up for Christmas celebrations, here’s a recipe of gingerbread cookies you can easily try at home and then decorate it in your own way to mark Gingerbread Decorating Day tomorrow (December 12).

Gingerbread Cookies

(Recipe By Chef Alpa Pereira from Toujours)

Yield: 40 pcs

Ingredients

Butter – 200 g

Light brown sugar – 200 g

Caster sugar – 60 g

Gingerbread spice – 10g (ginger powder, cinnamon powder, allspice, cloves and nutmeg)

Eggs – 50 g (about 1 egg)

Milk – 15 ml

All purpose flour – 400 g

Baking Powder – 6 g

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

• In a large bowl, soften the butter, add both the sugars and gingerbread spice and cream together.

• Add the egg and milk and combine completely.

• Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix till just combined. Do not overmix.

• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured table top and roll it out till it is 3mm thick.

• Use your cookie cutters to cut shapes into the dough.

• Bake the cookies at 180 degrees celsius for 7-8 minutes

Here are some decoration ideas for Gingerbread Decorating Day:

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