GINGERBREAD MEN

Mothers' Day Baking and Bonding.
 

 

To be clear my daughter and I planned to make gingerbread men but soon discovered that we didn't actually have a large enough 'man' cookie cutter. Our 'gingerbread men' turned out to be gingerbread teddies, butterflies, stars and hearts.

I love the old fashioned idea of gingerbread men, as it was one of my favourite things to bake as a kid, but let your children choose whatever they want! Just make sure that whatever shapes they choose the overall sizes are the same on each baking sheet so they bake evenly and you don't get some burnt ones.

 

HAVE FUN!  

 

INGREDIENTS

350g Plain Flour

175g Brown Sugar

100g Butter/Margarine

1 Large Egg

4 tablespoons (60ml) of Golden Syrup

1 teaspoon (5ml) Bicarbonate of Soda

2 teaspoon (10ml) ground ginger

 

 

METHOD

1. Mix flour, sugar, bicarb,giger and margarine/butter in a large mixing bowl together. This step requires you and your little one/s to get your hands dirty. Mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

 

 

This part is great fun and great for those fine motor skills

 

2. Add syrup and egg, and mix until you get a firm dough.

You can always try and do what we did. I love how creative my daughter is.

 

 

Be sure to make the holes big enough so it doesnt look like a sad face!

 

If the dough is too dry add a little more syrup until it combines nicely.

 

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C

 

4. Using a rolling pin, and a flour-dusted surface, roll out your dough until about 5mm thick. If your rolling pine and surface are not dusted your dough will stick and you will battle to lift the cut dough from the surface.

  

5. Cut out shapes using your selected cookie cutter/s or knife.

 

 

6. Place cut cookies on greased baking tray about 2cm apart and pop in the oven.

Bake for about 10-15 mins depending on the size of your biscuits and your desired crunchiness. Some prefer a softer biscuit while others like them hard.

 

7. Decorate using icing and anything you can find around the house or in the shops.

Ideas: Smarties, chocolate drops/chips, astros, raisins, silver balls. Ask your kid what they they would like and have fun with it.