Gingerbread From The North Pole: Delicious Recipes From Around The World

By Derek
January 1, 2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
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This week in our Around The World recipe series, we travel to the top of the world where we found a delicious gingerbread recipe that is just as much fun to make, as it is to eat!

The North Pole is a blustery little cul-de-sac located squarely on the top of the world. It is bordered to the south in every direction by, well, the rest of the world. Besides being home to the most talked about man on the planet, the north pole is home to many other fantastical things. Polar bears and seals can enjoy 187 days where the sun never sets and they can play checkers at midnight. Once winter comes and there are 167 days of no sun in a row, they have front row seats to the northern lights. It is not everybody’s cup of cocoa, but the locals prefer solitude.

Gingerbread cookies have a vibrant and international past, having a strong tie to Christmas and showing up auspiciously in many fairy tales. Many may know that they were also made by Queen Elizabeth I who had them decorated to resemble her most esteemed guests. Others still, will tell you of a history dating back to the 10th century when an Armenian monk brought his recipe for gingerbread to northern France. But those historians know nothing about the thousand year old recipe held in the credenza door in a house on a blustery little cul-de-sac sat on the top of the world.

Ginger Bread Recipe

Ingredients

350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125g/4½oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
175g/6oz light soft brown sugar
1 free-range egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

Method

In a large bowl mix the butter in with the flour until well combined (get messy and use your hands)
Then add in the sugar and mix again
Add the bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and ground ginger to the bowl and mix again
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and the syrup
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix well
On a floured surface knead the dough until you are able to roll it out without sticking
Roll out the dough between 1-2 cm thick depending on your preference
Use cookie cutters to make shapes and then place them on a greased baking tray or an oven-safe plastic baking mat.
Bake in the middle rack of an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 8 minutes.