Gingerbread biscuits

I got my very first cookbook when I was about six. It was a big bright book with recipes for cupcakes, house sandwiches and pizza faces and was called 'Busy Little Cook'.

It also had the best gingerbread recipe, and so while the book is now in three pieces, and covered in ground ginger and flour it still maintains its place among the other recipe books.



As with all recipes, this one is not quite perfect; it has been amended more than a few times, but this is more due to personal taste than dodgy recipe.
I prefer my gingerbread to taste gingery, my spice bunnies to be spicy, so the amount of ground ginger gets boosted right up. We're talking 12+ times what the recipe says.

I also prefer to mix the whole thing up in the food processor, allowing technology to undertake the joy of evening mixing through the golden syrup. 

When it comes to cookie cutters, I must admit to steering clear of the boring hearts and stars and circles.
For a kids recipe, the shapes aimed at kids are much more entertaining. Besides, animals are so much more enjoyable to bite the heads off.

Courtesy of Ikea (I think) we got these beauties, which were the perfect size for feeding to stressed work colleagues. They also came with a giant monkey, moose and fox, however as I was trying to be generous and share, I went for the slightly smaller shapes.

The Recipe: Spice Bunnies

250g Self raising flour

1 tsp ground ginger  - this is usually increased to about 4tbsp minimum

1 tsp ground cinnamon - this is usually increased to about 1tbsp

100g butter

100g brown sugar

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 egg beaten

Sift together the flour ginger and cinnamon

Add the butter and sugar and rub together with your fingers till it forms breadcrumbs

Beat the golden syrup and egg together and then stir into the flour mixture.

Mix until smooth.

Alternatively, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, butter and sugar in the food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. 

Add in the golden syrup and egg and mix until the dough is consistent. 

You may need to add more flour so the dough is pliable but not sticky.

Cook at 180° for 8-12 minutes. 8 minutes makes for soft gingerbread, 12 minutes for biscuits with the hardness of gingernuts.

On this occasion, Mum insisted on more Antarctica-appropriate shapes for her photo evening. As no one has got around to gifting my sister a Penguin cookie-cutter, seals had to do.