makes
2
prep
30 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
2
serves
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 125 g butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup golden syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- plain flour, to dust
- 1 tbsp finely grated glace ginger, use a microplane
- ½ cup demerara sugar
- decorative ribbon, for threading
Makes enough gingerbread stars for 2 garlands, this will depend on the size of star cutters you use.
Chilling time 30 minutes
Instructions
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 ºC (350ºF). Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out to 4 mm thickness. Use a selection of different size star cutters to cut out shapes. Place on to lined baking trays and using a 1 cm plain piping nozzle cut a hole in the centre of each star.
Using your fingertips, rub together the glace ginger and demerara sugar in a small bowl.
Sprinkle over the star biscuits and bake in the oven for 7–10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Once cold thread the star biscuits on to the decorative ribbon and sprinkle with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
Photography by Petrina Tinslay, styling by David Morgan and art direction by Anne Marie Cummins.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
