Gingerbread
"I've lost count of the number of cookies I've made over the years. This recipe can be used for making any shape and size of biscuit."
- 1 medium egg
- 25g molasses (black treacle) (0.88 Oz)
- 200g caster sugar (7.0 Oz)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 250g butter (8.8 Oz)
- 5g baking powder (0.17 Oz)
- 350g plain flour (12.35 Oz)
- I sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (at Christmas) or the zest of 1/2 a lemon (at Easter)
- Place eggs, treacle, sugar and spices in a bowl and beat well.
- Melt the butter in the microwave on medium for two minutes (or until melted). Let it cool then stir into the mixture.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and bind with a spoon or by hand to make a dough.
- Wrap the dough in clingfilm or foil and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This firms it up and allows the glutens to do their thing. This is a good time to put the oven on at 160 C (320 F).
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface making it about 7–mm thick (for cookies), about 12mm for building gingerbread structures.
- Put the biscuits on a baking tray that you’ve either greased (with butter) or lined with parchment or silicone.
- Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes before checking , they may take up to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the biscuit. They are done when they are just firm to touch
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before lifting them onto a cooling rack .