This weekend I’ve been overcome by the spirit of Christmas, and what better way to kick off the celebrations than with a traditional batch of gingerbread biccies.

This is my go to recipe which I come back to year after year and it never does me wrong. (I found it on the Channel 4 website once upon a time, but it seems to have disappeared!) The fabulous thing about this gingerbread is that it doesn’t just contain ginger but also fragrant cinnamon and cloves giving it the ultimate christmassy flavour.

These biscuits are slightly crunchy on the outside but perfectly soft and fluffy on the inside, making them perfect for pairing with a cuppa or better yet a glass of steaming mulled wine.

(By the way, check out the awesome rolling pin in the pic above that my sis got me for my birthday, it actually writes Scaredy Cat Kitchen in the dough! Thanks Jules!)

This year I decided to top off my biscuits with a bit of simple, vanilla scented icing, to give them that extra Christmassy edge.

And after a near disaster with a tiny, homemade piping bag I managed an artful drizzle, but of course you can go to town with coloured icing and fancy patterns if you have the energy for that sort of thing.

This recipe would be just perfect for making with the kids, it’s supremely easy and the dough can stand up to a lot of punishment and can be reformed multiple times without becoming tough.

So it you’re in a Christmassy mood like me, what better way to spend an afternoon than making your kitchen smell of Christmas spices?

Gingerbread Biscuits
Makes 15 – 20 biscuits

Ingredients:
350g plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g butter
175g soft light brown sugar
1 large free range egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

For the icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 – 2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180C / 175C Fan / 350F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Next stir in the sugar,

In a small bowl mix together the egg and golden syrup, then add it to the dry ingredients.

Mix until a dough is formed. This may feel like it’s never going to happen, just trust me, persevere and, if you need to, use your hands and eventually a beautiful dough will come together.

On a floured surface roll out the dough to about 5mm thick and use the cutter of your choice to cut out shapes, reforming the dough and going again as often as is necessary until all the dough has been used.

Put the biscuits onto the baking tray, spacing them a little apart as they will grow slightly, and pop them in the oven for 10-15 mins until golden.

Cool the biscuits on a rack while you mix together the icing ingredients in a small bowl. The mixture should form a ribbon when you drizzle it back into the bowl, which stays for a few seconds, add more sugar if necessary to get this consistency.

Lay out the biscuits on a large sheet of baking paper ready for icing. You can either drizzle the icing using a teaspoon or use a piping bag with a tiny nozzle. (I made mine out of some baking paper) Alternatively buy some tubes of ready made icing and go to town!

Leave the biscuits for a couple of hours for the icing to set before stacking them in a tin with parchment between each layer. Enjoy!