Gingerbread Men

Of all the sweet treats that I love and have made, Gingerbread has never been on my list, I only ever think of making it at Christmas. So this year I decided that our tree needed some homemade decorations an I thought gingerbread men would be the perfect decoration an delicious treat (plus the house smells so festive.) It was surprisingly easier than I thought, they are fun to make an make the tree look extra special! X

 

Recipe

- 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 2 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- 125g/4½oz butter

- 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar

- 1 free-range egg

- 4 tbsp golden syrup

To decorate

- writing icing

- cake decoration

Method

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

4. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.