Festive gingerbread biscuits

Name: Festive gingerbread biscuits
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: about 24
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 200g butter; 90g sugar; 90g brown sugar; ¼ cup treacle; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; ¼ tsp ground cloves; 1 egg, beaten; 450g plain flour; 2 tsp baking soda; Pinch salt; 500g ready-made white icing (sold at supermarkets)

Caroline Velik

October 18, 2011

Festive gingerbread biscuits.Marina Oliphant

Time:1-2 hoursMakes:about 24

Nothing says Christmas quite like gingerbread. For coloured icing, add a few drops of food colouring before kneading and mix it in well.

Ingredients

200g butter
90g sugar
90g brown sugar
¼ cup treacle
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 egg, beaten
450g plain flour
2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
500g ready-made white icing (sold at supermarkets)

Method

Cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add treacle, spices and egg. Mix well.
Sift flour with baking soda and salt. Add flour to butter and egg mix, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Knead dough lightly, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Roll out dough thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes and place on trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, place on wire racks and allow to cool. Remove the ready-made icing from the wrapper and knead (if the icing is hard, microwave on medium power for 20 to 30 seconds to soften).
Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the icing thinly. Cut out shapes with a pastry cutter. Brush the cooled biscuits with water and place the icing shapes on top. Press down lightly.