November is the new December. Or so my good friend Anna tells me. It’s only the 13th of the month and judging by my insta feed, you’d think it was Christmas Eve already.
I must admit it felt like Christmas here today. Along with the smell of gingerbread in the air, there were Santa lists being written, fairy lights being strung up and Bing Crosby’s ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ playing in the background.
It’s moments like these, that I’ll cherish forever.
November, December. Who cares. Gosh if you’re feeling like wanting to get into the Christmas spirit in October. Go for it. There’s no judgement here.
gingerbread cookies
This recipe will make about 25 cookies, depending on their size.
125 grams of butter, cut into cubes and at room temperature
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 x egg
1/3 cup of golden syrup
2 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 x tablespoon of ground ginger
2 x teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 x teaspoon of ground all spice
To decorate;
Store-bought royal icing
Confectionary of your choosing, think everything from smarties to nuts, wafer biscuits, candy canes or liquorice
You’ll also need:
1 x rolling pin
2 x large baking sheets
Baking paper
A piping bag
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy (scraping the sides of the bowl down in the middle of this process).
- Turning the beater down to a low setting, add the egg and mix to incorporate. Add the golden syrup and once again mix to incorporate.
- Sift together the dry ingredients and on a low setting of the stand mixer, add a third at a time, mixing between each addition, until you have a nice dough. Don’t overmix here, it just needs to come together.
- Now take the dough out and knead it on a floured work surface for a minute or so before wrapping it up in glad wrap. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
- Take the dough out and using half at a time, roll out between two sheets of baking paper with a rolling pin to a thickness of approx 6 mm.
- Using cookie cutters, cut out the shapes and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving a bit of room between each cookie.
- Bake in a low oven (170℃) for approximately 8-12 minutes or until just very slightly browned. Keep a close eye on them as you don’t want them burning.
- Place on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Transfer icing to a piping bag and get busy decorating.
Lo’s tips
- The royal icing can be turned any colour you like by using a couple of drops of food colouring or food gel.
- Be creative when it comes to the decorating. There are no rules here.
- Royal icing is perfect for these cookies because it dries really hard, acting as a form of strong glue.
lo's kitchen 