DOUBLE GINGER GINGERBREAD MEN

INGREDIENTS:

140g unsalted butter

100g dark muscovado sugar 

3 tbsp golden syrup

350g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 balls stem ginger from a jar, chopped

TO DECORATE:

50g icing sugar

2 balls stem ginger

glace cherries (optional)

raisins (optional)

smarties (optional)  

Heat oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Line two baking trays with baking partchment. Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Mix flour, soda, spices and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir in the butter mix and chopped ginger to make a stiff-ish dough.

Wait until cool enough to handle then roll out dough to about 5mm thick. Stamp out gingerbread men, re-rolling and pressing the trimmings together and rolling again. Lift onto baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Cool 10 minutes on the sheets, then lift onto cooling racks.

To decorate mix icing sugar with a few drops of water until thick and smooth. Half then slice cherries thinly to make smiles an cut ginger into small squares. Spoon icing into a food bag snip off a small amount of the corner, then squeeze eyes and buttons onto each man. Stick on a smile and add buttons.

Recipe from bbcgoodfood.com