Iced Gingerbread Men

Instructions

Servings 12 / Prep time 25 mins / Cook time 18 mins

Biscuits

1. Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In a different mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 mins.
3. Add in the egg, golden syrup and ginger flavouring. Mix until combined.
4. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and combine until a smooth dough forms.
5. Divide the dough in two and form each into a disc shape.
6. Place each disc onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out using a rolling pin. You want the dough to have a thickness of around 7mm.
7. Put the sheet of rolled out dough in the fridge to chill for at least 30 mins.
8. Once chilled, cut the dough using a gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter. We used a 7cm/2.75 inch cutter.
9. Place the cut dough onto a baking tray lined with either a silicone mat or non-stick baking paper, leaving a gap between each. If baking in batches, keep the dough chilled in-between each.
10. Put the baking tray in a preheated oven at 160°C fan and bake for 10-12mins.
11. Remove from the oven and leave the biscuits on the tray for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing

1. Pour the royal icing sugar into a shallow bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Add 1 tbsp warm water to the well, along with the creamy buttery caramel flavouring and stir, gradually incorporating the royal icing sugar.
3. When the icing gets too thick to stir, add another tsp of warm water and keep repeating these steps until the icing runs off the spoon in thick ribbons and forms a pattern on top of the bowl of icing. When you jiggle the bowl the pattern should slowly disappear.
4. If colouring your icing, separate the icing out into bowls and colour using gel food colouring.
5. Add the icing into piping bags and snip the tip off each.
6. Decorate as desired.
7. Either dry the biscuits at room temperature or place them on a baking tray and pop them into the oven at its lowest temperature for approx. 30 mins.