Making gingerbread is part of our family tradition each Christmas. It is really simple and the children love being involved. Over the years we have made many different shaped biscuits for gifts including gingerbread men, hearts, stars and angels. These look great wrapped in cellophane with some ribbon for a gift. We have also made gingerbread houses and gingerbread reindeer and sleigh. A bit more challenging but heaps of fun. There are loads of cutters available to create your own gingerbread masterpiece. Here is a simple recipe which is easy to work with and tastes yum!

Ingredients:

125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer.
2. Beat in egg yolk and syrup.
3. Stir in sifted dry ingredients.
4. Work the mixture into a ball with your hands and knead lightly on a floured surface.
5. Put the ball into the fridge for half an hour.
6. Roll out the dough to about 5mm thickness.
7. Cut out your shapes and place them onto a lightly greased baking tray.
8. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 8 minutes or until brown.
9. Cool on trays.

You can decorate the gingerbread with icing if desired. This is really simple to make using:

1 egg white
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Food colouring

For a healthier alternative you can use currents or sultanas, nuts or seeds. These need to be added before cooking.

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