Gingerbread

Nothing makes the house smell like Christmas more than gingerbread, I am writing this post with a batch of gingerbread in the oven, my sister's Christmas music in the background and the tree sparkling in the living room.

We only have 6 days to go, presents are wrapped, last minute shopping is all that is left. The family is arriving, Christmas day plans being confirmed. We shops are packed, there is an hour wait for a Santa photo. The carols were on TV, and now there is a Christmas movie every night.

Anyway, back to gingerbread. The mix of sugar and spice, cooking in the oven fills the house with a warm smell, one that makes everyone think of Christmas. Then the icing comes out, the bench gets covered, almost more than on the cookies! But the cookies look and taste amazing (not as good as the pictures, but we aren't all professionals).

I don't normally share recipes on here, but I feel like I have to share this gingerbread recipe, adapted from the Thermomix Festive Flavour cookbook.

Ingredients:
gingerbread:
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp mixed spice
- 1tsp bicarb-soda
- 380g flour
- 100g brown sugar
-150g golden syrup
-150g butter
-1/4tsp vanilla (I add vanilla to everything!)
- 1 egg yolk (save the white for the icing)
icing:
-140g icing sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
- food colouring (I used green for trees)
- 1 egg white.

Method:
Mix all the gingerbread ingredients in a bowl.
When well combined, turn onto a floured bench and knead with your hands.
Once kneaded, place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c), and cover 2-3 trays with baking paper.
Roll half the chilled dough between two sheets of baking paper until about 1cm thick.
Cut with your favourite cookie cutters.
Bake for 8 minutes, leave to cool for 5 and then transfer to a cooling rack to ice.
Repeat with remaining dough.

Meanwhile, make the icing by combining all ingredients.
You can use a piping bag, but it never works for me, so I just use a knife and cover the cookies.


Enjoy your gingerbread, 
xxxPoppy