Gingerbread men

I love the smell of making gingerbread. It's one of my favourite Christmas smells. So here's my tried and tested gingerbread men recipe and remember the thickness of the dough determines how your "men" will turn out!

400g plain flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g butter / marge

175g brown sugar

½ tbsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp golden syrup

¼ tsp ground cardamom

1 egg

½ tsp ground nutmeg

4 tbsp black treacle

½ tbsp ground cloves

1. Put the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and rub in the butter. 
2. Add sugar and stir in the syrup, treacle and egg to make firm dough. (Can store in fridge for a while if it's too sticky)
3. Roll out to about 5mm thick (you’ll need plenty of flour) and cut out your gingerbread men. Thick "men" are doughy to taste and thin "men" are crunchy!
4. Place cookies 2 inches apart on greased baking trays. 
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in oven 170°C, gas mark 3, until firm. 
6. Remove from baking trays to cool on wire racks, then decorate when cool – glaze icing made with water and cinnamon tastes nice with them.

Nom!

Of course you don't have to make gingerbread men, there are lots of different Christmas cutters. I've even seen some Ninja shaped ones ;-)

My thick and thin observations about gingerbread men, are strictly about gingerbread men. No rudeness meant :-)