How to Make Decorated Gingerbread Biscuits

Ingredients

* 350g/12oz plain flour

* 1tsp bicarbonate of soda

* 2tsp ground ginger

* 1tsp ground cinnamon

* 125g/4½oz butter

* 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar

* 1 medium egg, lightly beaten

* 4tbsp golden syrup

To Decorate

* Ready to Roll Icing

* Food Colouring

* Edible Glue

* Sprinkles

Equipment

* Mixing Bowl

* Food Processor (Optional)

* Sieve

* Wooden Spoon

* Cling Film

* Baking trays

* Veining Tool or Cocktail Stick

* Piping Bag

* No.1 Piping Tip

* Greaseproof Paper

* Rolling Pin

* Cookie Cutters

* Cooling Rack

Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter in cubes and rub into the dry ingredients with your fingers (or use a food processor) until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar, egg and golden syrup until the mixture comes together to form a dough.

Tip the dough out and knead it briefly until smooth. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface, approximately 4mm thick. Use the cutter to cut out the gingerbread shapes and place on the baking trays.

Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

When the cookies are cool, it's time to dress them in their festive jumpers!

Roll out your desired colour of icing 2mm thick. You can use the cutter or a knife to cut out the jumpers.

Stick the each of the jumpers to the cookie with a little edible glue.

Add detail to the collar and cuffs of the icing jumper using a veining tool or a cocktail stick.

Put a tablespoon or two of royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a No.1 piping nozzle. Use this to pipe designs or stick sprinkles to the jumpers. Lastly, pipe on the faces.

Your gingerbread biscuits are now finished!