• Gingerbread snowflakes

    Serves: Makes 10
    Cooking Time: 40 mins plus 2 hours for setting

    Ingredients

    • GINGERBREAD
    • 230g (1 cup) butter
    • 200g (1 cup) sugar
    • 250ml (1 cup) golden syrup
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) vinegar
    • 600g cake flour
    • 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
    • 6ml (1¼ tsp) ground cinnamon
    • 7,5ml (1½ tsp) ground ginger
    • 2ml (½ tsp) ground cloves
    • 2ml (½ tsp) ground black pepper
    • pinch of salt
    • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    • ICING
    • 1 large egg white
    • pinch of cream of tartar
    • 160g icing sugar, sifted
    • castor sugar, to decorate
    • edible silver glitter, to decorate

    Instructions

    1

    To make the gingerbread dough, melt the butter with the sugar, syrup and vinegar. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

    2

    Sift the remaining dry ingredients into the butter mixture and add the eggs. Mix to a smooth dough and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

    3

    Roll out the dough to about 5mm in thickness on a floured silicone mat. Cut out snowflake shapes, piercing a hole through one end so that you will be able to thread a ribbon through for hanging. Bake until pale golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

    4

    To make the icing, beat the egg white with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the icing sugar until you have firmer peaks.

    5

    Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain no. 2 tube and pipe designs over the cooled snowflakes.

    6

    Sprinkle with castor sugar and glitter.

    7

    Allow the icing to dry, thread ribbons through the holes and hang the snowflakes on your tree.

    Lianne Scher of gingerbreadlane, email [email protected], tel 011-540-1500