Gingerbread Men
Hand these out as gifts, hang them on your Christmas tree, leave them out for Father Christmas or serve them to your little (or young at heart) guests.
Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
125g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 egg, separated
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Flour, to dust
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
Red liquid food colouring
Green liquid food colouring
Smarties, to decorate
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 baking trays with melted butter.
Beat the butter and sugar using an electric beater until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined.
Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Place egg white in a bowl and use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form.
Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Divide icing into 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties.
