Aussie summer gingerbread

Ingredients

• 50g butter, chopped
• 100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) honey
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 300g (2 cups) plain flour
• 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 x 330g packets Dr. Oetker Royal Icing
• Food colourings of your choice, to tint icing

Method

1

Melt butter with sugar and honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Cool. Combine butter mixture and egg in a bowl. Stir in flours, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and bicarb.

2

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into 2 discs and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.

3

Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out 1 portion of the dough on a large sheet of baking paper until 4-5mm thick. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan forced.

4

Use a 7cm gingerbread man cutter and a 5.5cm round cutter to cut out shapes. Place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.

5

Repeat with leftover dough scraps. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6

Make royal icing following the packet directions. Divide into bowls. Tint each bowl a different colour of your choice, leaving one bowl white.

7

Place icing in piping bags fitted with 2mm round nozzles. Pipe white outlines on discs and outlines and faces on the gingerbread people.

8

Decorate gingerbread with coloured icing for clothing. You can also add details with dots. Fill in discs to make beach balls. Allow 15 minutes to set.

Source: taste.com.au