I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and always prefer something savoury. However, I’ve perfected the recipe for these biscuits to be just on the right side of sweet, but still a little ‘spicy’ due to the ginger. They are harder, rather than soft and chewy and also so flexible as to how they can be decorated.
Funnily enough, they’re also a brilliant hangover cure (I think it’s the ginger)!
Tip: They’re lovely to eat, but there’s no harm in sticking a hole through before baking and then adding a glaze for a tree decoration at Christmas!
You will need:
350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp ground cinnamon (to be fair, you can alter the spices to your requirements. I always add more cinnamon)
125g butter
175g light soft brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup
Any decorations you feel like for decoration.
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the butter and mix until it looks like breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor if you like. I don’t – and it takes ages. Stir in the sugar.
2. Beat the egg and golden syrup together a little, add to the bowl and mix until it clumps together.
3. Tip the dough out, knead it briefly until it’s smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out to a quarter of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using whichever shape cutters you fancy, cut out the shapes and place on a baking tray, leaving a gap between them.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they look lightly golden-brown. Leave to cool, then decorate away!
