gingerbread men

Little Mr Z is so full of sweet questions at the moment. They go something like this: 

why is the inside of ginger yellow?

why is ginger hard?

does butter grow?

this [bicarb of soda] grows deep under the ground doesn't it?

why is this called 'kneading'?

and so on...

if i hesitate for too long it's followed by "why? why? why?"

what does keep him quiet is a good bit of batter to lick. this recipe was so quick to make (probably aided by my desire for a little bit of quiet... and for Little Miss M to not nap for too long) that as i handed Mr Z the beater to lick he said with extreme delight "already? that was the shortest lick day i've ever heard of!!"

Gather:

butter (soft)

1 egg

golden syrup

brown sugar

plain flour

ground ginger

bicarb of soda

1. Beat 125g butter and 1/2cup (110g) brown sugar together until creamy

2. Add 1 egg and 2 tbsp golden syrup and beat until combined

3. sift 2 cups (300g) plain flour, 2 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp bicarb of soda together

4. Fold the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients until a dough is formed. On a floured surface knead gently to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill (the dough and you!) for at least an hour.

while the dough was chilling, i sent Mr Z to wake his little sister and heard him saying to her: "So, have you had a brilliant sleep? would you like a kiss and a cuddle?" - that melted my heart

5. preheat oven to 180C and roll the dough out to 1cm thick

6. cut out your shapes and bake on a greased/lined tray for 8-10 mins

here are our more traditional shapes

and the more unusual

 cover in various coloured icings (looks like there is more licking than decorating going on here!)

finished product

or just enjoy with a nice cool cup of milk