Gingerbread Star Decorations

Serves : 12

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: approximately 10 minutes

Gingerbread Star Decorations

Ingredients

  • 175g plain white flour
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • 65g butter
  • 90g soft brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 Budgens medium free range egg

For the icing

  • 1 egg white
  • Sifted icing sugar
  • Food colouring (optional)

Method

  1. Blend the butter with a mixture of the spices, bicarbonate of soda and flour. Do this until it is like breadcrumbs and then mix in the sugar. Beat an egg into slightly warmed golden syrup and pour into the mixture from above, mixing until it becomes a soft dough. Then knead until smooth.

  2. Make a 5mm (¼ inch) thick dough layer on a floured surface and cut out biscuit shapes using various cutters.

  3. Pierce a 5mm hole in each one for putting ribbon through later on, for hanging, if required.

  4. Put two non-stick baking sheets on two baking trays. Place the shaped cut-outs on the baking sheets approximately 2cm apart and bake at 190°C non fan / 170°C fan / gas mark 5 until golden brown, checking after 10 minutes.

  5. Allow to cool and harden for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack until cold.

  6. For the icing, add sifted icing sugar to a beaten egg until stiff enough for piping. Add colouring if necessary to brighten up the decorations.