Storing gingerbread biscuits: how to keep them crisp until Christmas

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Gingerbread biscuits are the most forgiving Christmas baking: they can be baked early and stay crisp for weeks. But one wrong tin or one damp pantry, and they are soft before the first Sunday of Advent. Here is how to keep them crisp, what to do with the dough, and how to rescue the ones that have gone soft.

Short answer: Crisp gingerbread biscuits belong in a completely airtight tin, on their own, in a dry place at room temperature. That way they keep for four weeks and more. The dough rests in the fridge, well wrapped, and keeps there for about a week. If the biscuits have gone soft, the crispness comes back with a few minutes in the oven at 150 °C.

An airtight tin, with only gingerbread in it

Crisp biscuits go soft from moisture, and the moisture comes from the air or from other bakes. So put the gingerbread biscuits in a tin with a tight lid, and not together with soft bakes such as fruit bread or soft cookies. Fill the tin well: the less air, the longer they stay crisp. An old metal tin is perfect, it seals well and does not take on flavours. Which tin each Christmas biscuit wants is in the right tin for each Christmas biscuit.

Cool and dry, but not in the fridge

The tin can stand in a cool cupboard or in the pantry, as long as it is dry. The fridge is a poor place for crisp biscuits: when the tin is opened, they draw in moisture and go soft. If the tin seals well, gingerbread biscuits are fine at room temperature.

Gingerbread dough: wrap it and let it rest

Gingerbread dough should rest in the fridge, preferably overnight, before it is rolled out. Wrap it well once it has cooled, so it does not dry out at the edges. Beeswax wraps work well here instead of cling film: shape the wrap around the dough with warm hands, and it stays in place. The dough keeps for about a week in the fridge. If you want to bake later, it can be frozen, also in a beeswax wrap, and thawed in the fridge the day before.

Icing and decoration

Decorated gingerbread biscuits must dry completely before they go into a tin, otherwise they stick together and the icing cracks. Leave them spread out for a full day. Put baking paper between the layers in the tin, and the decoration stays neat all the way to Christmas.

The gingerbread house

The house can stand out for weeks, but moisture makes it soft and crooked. Put it in a dry place, away from the cooker, the kettle and cold windows with condensation. If the house is going to be eaten, it is best within a couple of weeks, before it has gathered dust.

If the gingerbread biscuits have gone soft

Soft gingerbread biscuits are not ruined. Put them on a baking tray and into the oven at 150 °C for a few minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack before they go back into an airtight tin, and they are crisp again.

Frequently asked questions

How long do gingerbread biscuits keep?
Crisp gingerbread biscuits keep for four weeks and more in an airtight tin at room temperature. Left open or together with soft bakes, they go soft in a few days.
Can gingerbread biscuits be frozen?
Yes, both finished biscuits and dough can be frozen. Thaw finished gingerbread biscuits in an airtight tin, so they do not draw in moisture while they thaw.
Why do my gingerbread biscuits go soft?
The tin is not airtight, they are stored with something soft, or the room is damp. Give them their own airtight tin in a dry place.
How long can gingerbread dough stay in the fridge?
About a week, well wrapped. If it has to wait longer, freeze it.

Want the full overview of Christmas baking? It is in storing Christmas biscuits.

Wrap the dough without cling film

Vokshus beeswax wraps in cotton with beeswax and tree resin, a set of three sheets in sizes S, M and L. The wrap moulds around the dough with the warmth of your hands.

See the beeswax wrap set →
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