Mendip Living Dec 2021 - Jan 2022

SPICED
GINGERBREAD
CHRISTMAS
COOKIES
These sweet festive cookies are
a wonderful treat to gift to friends
and are great fun to make with
children. They are spiced with the
Christmas flavours of cinnamon,
ginger, nutmeg and cloves and
then iced with pretty patterns to
decorate. The cookies should last in
an airtight container for 1 week.
Serves: makes 30 cookies
Prep time: 45 minutes, plus chilling
Cook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
225g unsalted butter, softened
180g soft light brown sugar
300g molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
700g plain flour
1 tsp Maldon Salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
500g icing sugar
METHOD:
Using an electric whisk or stand mixer,
start by creaming together the butter
and brown sugar (ensure your butter is
softened to room temperature before
you attempt to do this). Once the mixture
is pale and fluffy add the molasses and
vanilla extract and mix again.
In a separate bowl mix together the
dry ingredients; the plain flour, Maldon
salt, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon,
nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Add the dry
ingredients into the butter mixture in
stages and then mix until it forms a soft
dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and
chill in the fridge for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 170C°.
After the dough has chilled, remove it
from the fridge and on a lightly floured
surface roll out the dough until it is
roughly ½ cm thick. Use any cutters you
like to cut out shapes – gingerbread men,
stars, Christmas trees, candy canes –
have fun with it! Place the biscuits onto a
baking sheet lined with parchment paper,
keeping the biscuits a few cm’s apart
(you may need to do this across a couple
of trays). Put the trays into the preheated
oven and bake for 14 – 15 minutes until
the biscuits are slightly darker and baked
through. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool slightly before lifting onto a wire
rack to cool fully.
To make the icing place the 500g icing
sugar into a bowl and add 1 tbsp water,
mix until it forms a paste. Keep adding
a small amount of water at a time till
you reach your desired consistency. You
want the icing to still be thick enough to
pipe and hold its shape. Once you have
the correct consistency, pour the icing
into a piping bag with a small nozzle
attachment and decorate the cooled
biscuits anyway you like.
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