Gingerbread men
You don't have to use a gingerbread man cutter with this recipe, but it's so much fun to decorate each one individually! Leaving the dough to rest overnight makes the cookies better the next day.
Ingredients:
400 g plain flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
180 g unsalted butter. at room temperature
125 g soft dark brown sugar or dark muscovado sugar
1 egg
125 g black treacle
royal icing
1 egg white
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
310 g icing sugar, sifted food colouring, optional gingerbread biscuit cutters a baking tray. lined with greaseproof paper
Makes about 24.
Recipe:
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda ginger, cinnamon allspice nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and set aside Put the butter and sugars in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and cream on slow speed until light and fluffy Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat in the egg and treacle, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula Turn the mixer back down to slow speed and slowly add the flour mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time, stopping often to scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula Once an even dough has formed, take it out of the mixer divide into 3 and wrap each piece in clingfilm Leave to rest overnight in the fridge When you are ready to bake the cookies,
preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3
Take the dough out of the fridge and leave to soften for about 10 minutes Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 4 mm with a rolling pin Cut out shapes with the biscuit cutters Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes Leave the cookies to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the royal icing:
Beat the egg white and lemon juice together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) Gradually start adding the icing sugar mixing well after each addition to ensure all sugar is incorporated Whisk until you get stiff peaks If the icing is too runny add a little more sugar Stir in a couple of drops of food colouring, if using and decorate the cookies.
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