Gingerbread Men / Christmas Gingerbread Shapes (includes Thermomix method)

For many people gingerbread is synonymous with the festive period, and it's also pretty easy to make and fun to decorate!

As well as being delicious, it also keeps well, so makes wonderful gifts and even decorations for your tree (providing you haven't got any sneaky snackers in your household!).

Gingerbread my son made for his friends - see, it's that easy a child can make it!

With the icing sugar, if you're making these for anyone who has a compromised immune system, is pregnant or elderly etc., you can either purchase cartons of pasteurised egg white from most supermarkets, or buy powdered egg white in packets to make up, as an alternative to using a raw white egg white.

Gingerbread drizzled with white chocolate and shortbread drizzled with dark chocolate.

As an alternative they are also nice drizzled with white or dark chocolate. I've made them drizzled with white chocolate before, and packaged up with shortbread drizzled with dark chocolate, which made a really pretty contrast.

My son rolling out his final tray of gingerbread, there were three trays altogether.

This yields three baking sheets of biscuits - so approximately 30 larger shapes, or 60 small and medium mixed shapes.

Ingredients

• 100g butter 
• 160g soft brown sugar – preferably dark muscovado (you can also use light)
• 90g golden syrup 
• 4 tsp ground ginger (increase to 6 if you want them extra gingery and spicy! 4 is for a nice medium/normal spice level) 
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• Pinch of salt 
• 350g plain flour 
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork

Royal Icing

• 1 egg white
• 150-200 grams icing sugar
• Optional additional decorations for gingerbread man / Christmas biscuits

Equipment

• Biscuit/cookie cutters, non-stick baking parchment, baking tray, wire cooling rack, small straw to make holes for ribbon/string if making decorations, icing bag with fine nozzle or food bag with tiny corner snipped off.

Method
(See below for Thermomix method)

1. Put the butter, sugar, syrup, ground spices and pinch of salt into a pan, and heat gently until the butter is completely melted. You're not aiming to boil it, or dissolve the sugar - just to melt the butter to liquid.

2. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and egg, and mix together thoroughly into what will become a soft and sticky dough (don't worry, chilling will firm it up).

3. Pop the dough into a bowl or onto a plate and cover with clingfilm, then put into the fridge for half an hour. You can press it into a flattish shape to chill more quickly and save on some of the rolling if you like. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 / 180C.

4. Put the chilled dough (you can do half at a time if you find it easier) onto a sheet of non-stick parchment paper and roll out to around 3-4mm thick. Cut out shapes with your biscuit/cookie cutters and place onto baking trays lined with more parchment paper about 2-3cm apart. If making tree decorations use a small straw to poke a hole near the top of each biscuit. Put the smallest shapes in the middle of the tray. Press together excess dough, re-roll and repeat.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then carefully transfer onto wire racks until completely cool before icing or storing in airtight containers.

Icing method
1. In a clean, dry, bowl which is free from grease whisk the egg white until it just starts to make soft peaks. An electric whisk / mixer makes this easier.
2. Add 150g of the icing sugar a heaped spoonful at a time, whisking in gradually until you have a bright white mixture. If the consistency is not thick enough, continue to add the rest of the icing sugar until it is the desired consistency for piping.
3. Use a piping bag with a fine nozzle to ice the details on your gingerbread men / shapes, and leave to dry out and harden. For children or the less artistic, a rough zig zag over the shapes, with some little decorations placed on top can be quite effective! If you are not going to use the icing sugar immediately, cover tightly with clingfilm until using, as it will dry out.

Thermomix method
1. Put the butter, sugar, syrup, ground spices and pinch of salt into the mixing bowl and mix for 5 minutes / 50C / Speed 2.
2. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and the egg into the mixing bowl and mix for 10 seconds / Speed 5 until combined. Scrape down and repeat. You will have a soft and sticky dough (don't worry, chilling will firm it up).

3. Scrape the dough out, and pop it into a bowl or onto a plate and cover with clingfilm, then put into the fridge for half an hour. You can press it into a flattish shape to chill more quickly and save on some of the rolling if you like. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 / 180C.

4. Put the chilled dough (you can do half at a time if you find it easier) onto a sheet of non-stick parchment paper and roll out to around 3-4mm thick. Cut out shapes with your biscuit/cookie cutters and place onto baking trays lined with more parchment paper about 2-3cm apart. If making tree decorations use a small straw to poke a hole near the top of each biscuit. Put the smallest shapes in the middle of the tray. Press together excess dough, re-roll and repeat.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then carefully transfer onto wire racks until completely cool before icing or storing in airtight containers.

Icing method (thermomix)
1. Ensure your bowl is completely clean and dry, and free of any grease. Fit butterfly whisk on top of blades.
2. Add egg white, and whisk for 3 minutes / 50 degrees / Speed 4.
3. Turn back on to Speed 4 and then gradually add 150g of the icing sugar through the hole in the lid.
4. Ensure it is thoroughly mixed and a nice bright white colour, and your desired consistency for piping. If you would like a slightly thicker icing, keep adding the rest of the icing sugar whilst whisking at Speed 4 until it reaches the consistency you require. Use a piping bag with a fine nozzle to ice the details on your gingerbread men / shapes, and leave to dry out and harden. For children or the less artistic, a rough zig zag over the shapes, with some little decorations placed on top can be quite effective! If you are not going to use the icing sugar immediately, cover tightly with clingfilm until using, as it will dry out.

Christmas gingerbread shapes drizzled with white chocolate, with a few decorations on top.