Ginger bread men are an absolute classic! This is a great gingery, slightly spicy, slightly Christmassy, homemade gingerbread recipe which you can really get the kids involved with…depending on how cleanly you want them decorated of course!
You dont even need them to be ginger bread men. Ginger bread stockings, christmas trees, gingerbread teddy bears…go free hand and carve some crazy gingerbread shapes! If this dough if refrigerated over night it can be really nice and stiff and easy to carve.
We love Christmas in our house and the food which comes with it. These cookies are brilliant to package up and send out to people!…Although perhaps not a the moment as I write this in the winter on 2020 – amid the second Covid Lockdown!
Tips…
- The dough needs to stay cold, depending on how quick you are you may need to get the dough back in the fridge to firm off to stop the spreading when they go in the oven.
- Very easy to over cook – my first batch went in for 12 minutes and they were over done…my second batch went in for just over 10 and they were perfect!
- Don’t grease the sheet you put them on…there is enough butter in these cookies anyway. Just putting them on baking paper is enough…
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Ingredients…
- 180g light muscovado sugar
- 50g black treacle
- 120g butter
- 320g plain four
- 1tsp bicarb
- 1tbsp ground ginger
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- Sprinkle of ground cloves
- 1 egg beaten
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Method…
- melt the sugar, treacle and butter in a sauce pan – simmer for 1-2 mins – leave to cool…
- add flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices to a bowl, then add your warmed sugar mixture and egg
- bring together, knead for 5 mins and wrap in cling film. Cool for 30mins in the fridge…
- remove from the fridge and leave for 10 minutes to soften…
- heat oven to 190 degrees…
- Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment…
- roll out to a 1 coin thickness and cut shapes as desired…
- re-assemble and roll the excess dough until you have used it all up…
- Arrange biscuits on trays and cook for 10 minutes…
- Leave to cool – transfer to cooling rack after 5 minutes…
