Gingerbread Men

If you’re a regular reader of my Novice Baker posts then you’ll know how fussy my daughter is when it comes to bakes and cakes.  She is however a firm Gingerbread fan so I had a go at some Gingerbread Men which I baked and we decorated together!  Ahhhhh xx

What you need:

For the biscuits
350g plain flour plus extra for rolling out
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g butter
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
175g light soft brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
1 egg

For decoration
Writing icing and cake decorations (i.e silver balls)

What you do:

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. I suggest baking for 10 -12 minutes max as this leaves them slightly soft which we preferred.  Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

6. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations as required. 

   You’re never too old to enjoy decorating your biscuits!

   Until next time….Happy Baking!