Christmas Gingerbread

Christmas is my favourite time of year and I don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘too early’ when it comes to Christmas foods. Why should we restrict ourselves to 4 short weeks to enjoy all the wonderful flavours of Christmas?!

So, with that – and the abundance of Christmas adverts coming on TV this week – I felt it was the perfect time to make some gingerbread. With the addition of Cinnamon, All Spice, and orange the humble gingerbread is taken to a new Christmas-y level.

Makes 25 biscuits. Takes 30 minutes plus baking and cooling time.

Ingredients:

• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground all spice
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 50g dairy free butter (I used Pure Sunflower)
• 50g Trex (or other solid vegetable fat)
• 175g light muscavado sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Icing sugar and gel colours for decoration.

1. Combine the butters, sugars, syrup and zest in a saucepan over a low heat. Slowly bring to the boil. Once boiled for 1 minute, turn off the heat and leave to cool until cold.
2. Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a bowl. Add the sugar syrup mix and the egg to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a stiff dough.
3. Chill the dough until completely cold (minimum 30 minutes).
4. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees fan and line two large baking trays with non stick baking paper.
5. Roll the dough out to about the thickness of a £1 coin. Stamp out shapes of your choice – the more Christmas-y the better! – and place them on the prepared trays. The biscuits will expand as they bake, so leave enough room around them on the tray.
6. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes for a softer chewy gingerbread. If you like yours with more of a crunch, bake for 14 – 16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack once baked.
7. Make up your icing in colours of your choice and pipe onto your Christmas Gingerbreads.
8. Try not to eat them all at once!