Here's The Royal Family's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
You may not be able to spend Christmas with the British royals at Buckingham Palace, delivering gag gifts to Prince Harry and chasing the queen's corgi-dachshund mixes around the tree. But you can now make the royal family's gingerbread cookie recipe at home. On Dec. 16, the royal family's official Instagram account shared a photo of the simple yet elegant cut-out treats, as well as a link to the recipe so followers can bake their own.
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The Brits tend to call cookies "biscuits," and apparently the royals never use one word where two will do, so the recipe is labeled "Christmas Ginger Bread Biscuits." Name aside, they'll look familiar to anyone who's ever decorated gingerbread cookies, no matter their nationality. The royal cookies are cut into traditional shapes, including stars, bells, hearts and circles that are decorated like tree ornaments.
"Together the team in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace will create thousands of sweet treats and canapés for the receptions hosted at the Palace throughout the year – but Christmas time is especially busy," the Instagram post reads. "These Ginger Bread Biscuits can even be personalized and are sturdy enough to hang on your tree as decorations."
The recipe mentions the cookies being provided at holiday receptions, but we like to think that somewhere over the years, Queen Elizabeth II has snacked on one or two of them.
The recipe itself, provided on the family's official web site, is pretty simple. American cooks, take note: The measurements are provided by weight, and in grams, so have your kitchen scale or an online converter handy if you're used to American measures.
"It's always best to let the dough rest, so it's great if you can make the dough the night before,' reveals one royal pastry chef. "You can also roll out the dough, cut the shapes and put them in a freezer for an hour. This ensures they keep their shape nicely."
Last year, the palace kitchens provided another holiday recipe, for mince pie. That's still online if you're interested in more royal baking. The royal pastry chefs say they make over 1200 mince pies for each of the many official holiday receptions – you'll probably be satisfied with 1199 fewer. And even the royals can't live on sweets alone. Here's a look at what the British royal family really eats at home.