Web-only recipe: Gingerbread cookies
Our children grew up with some lovely Swedish nannies who filled the house with the sweet baking smells of their homeland. This is a great recipe, neither too sweet nor too spicy, and a perfect foil for the sweet icing which goes on top. You can make the dough in bulk and store it tightly covered in the fridge or freezer.
- 150g butter, softened
- ¼ packed cup soft brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons boiling water
- 2¼ cups plain flour
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and allspice
Preheat oven to 150°C fan bake. Beat together butter, sugar and golden syrup until pale and creamy. Mix baking soda with boiling water and add to butter mixture with flour and spices.
Line 2-3 oven trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and give each one a light sprinkling with flour for easier handling. Roll out each piece between plastic wrap or baking paper to ½cm thickness (avoid using too much flour when you roll the dough as this dries out the mixture).
Remove the top sheet of plastic or paper from the rolled-out dough and cut dough into shapes. Carefully transfer to prepared baking trays, allowing a little space between each biscuit. Bake at 150°C fan bake until starting to colour, about 15 minutes. Cool biscuits on trays; they will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight container. Ice biscuits with royal icing, up to 5 days before serving. They will soften just a little once they have been iced. Makes 36 biscuits (or 20 gingerbread men)
