Here Is the Royal Family's Favorite Holiday Cookie—And How to Make It
Even though it's still a week away, many of us are gearing up for Christmas in our kitchens—even Buckingham Palace has gotten to work on holiday feasts. And in the spirit, they have revealed the recipe for the royal family's favorite cookie.
Just like the Middleton's family approach to a healthy-yet-satisfying Christmas feast, this is one holiday tradition you can feel good about trying at home as well.
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This week, the royal pastry chefs at Buckingham Palace graced us all with their recipe for "Ginger Bread Biscuits," which are the British take on classic gingerbread cookies. According to the Royal Family's official Instagram account, these simple treats are Queen Elizabeth's favorite and loved by the rest of the household as well. To make them more special, pastry chefs personalize each cookie with a family member's name using a small amount of icing (just a taste). These cookies are beautifully simple—and the pastry chefs behind the recipe say they are sturdy enough to actually hang on your Christmas tree, as well.
The royal recipe for gingerbread cookies is actually pretty straightforward: You'll need self-rising flour, unsalted butter, ground ginger, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and something called "mixed spice"—which is British speak for a common mixture of cinnamon, cloves, ground nutmeg, and ginger. (It's actually pretty similar to pumpkin spice.) According to the BBC, this spice mix can usually be found bottled in supermarkets in the United Kingdom, but is also easy to make at home.
We love the royals' gingerbread cookie recipe (which is available here), but there are a few ways you can make this classic holiday cookie even healthier: Cooking Light's modern take on gingerfolk cookies contains many of the ingredients used in the royals' version, with only 126 calories per cookie.
More on how the Royal Family stays fit:
While our "gingerfolk" dough can be prepped in just 20 minutes, home cooks can also prep fresh gingerbread squares in 10 minutes, which contains 178 calories, 7g of fat, and 15g of sugar per serving.
If you're vegan or can't use milk, there's also a way to cut out dairy and still enjoy the classic flavors of a gingerbread dessert with our mini gingerbread cakes recipe.
There are more than 17 ways to creatively make gingerbread desserts this season, from cookies to cakes to muffins and granola, giving you ample chance to make this healthier royal favorite a tradition of your own.