If these beret wearing gingerbread men don’t bring a touch of festive French fun to the table – I don’t know what will!
They are super easy to make. Truly scrumptious. And they make you smile!
How to make gingerbread men
175g/6oz Soft Brown Sugar (1 cup)
350g plain flour (2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger,
100g butter (cubed) (1 stick)
4 tbsp Golden Syrup (thick, or dark corn syrup)
1 large egg (beaten)
30ml milk
Icing for decoration
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger. Add the butter and rub in to make fine breadcrumbs and stir I the sugar.
Warm the golden syrup, egg and milk in a pan until dissolved and let it cool. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix to a dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth.
Roll out and use a gingerbread cutter to cut out 12 gingerbread men and transfer onto 2 baking trays. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Once cooled, decorate with glacé Icing!
Icing
Buy ready made or make your own:
1 egg white
1 cup icing sugar sifted
2 drops liquid food colouring
Place egg white in a clean, dry bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Divide icing into bowls. Add food colouring to each bowl and stir until combined.
Spoon the icing into a small freezer bag using a separate bag for each colour. Snip the end of one corner from the freezer bag and pipe the icing onto cooled biscuits. Create a beret and a dapper moustache for French gingerbread men!
Undecorated gingerbread men will keep for at least a week in a tightly covered container. To freeze them, again undecorated, stack and wrap them in plastic, then foil. Place in an airtight container or freezer bag and free for up to 3 months.
