To celebrate the beginning of December I’m bringing a delicious wholemeal gingerbread biscuit recipe to your screens. Baking is a wonderful form of therapy – taking a variety of separate ingredients and combining them to create something to be shared and enjoyed, focussing your mind and letting your creativity run loose. It’s a perfect past time for this time of year, especially as this one in particular draws to a close, and homemade presents are always appreciated. Whether you share the experience of making them with loved ones or make them to give to your family, friends or neighbours try this festive recipe and turn up the Christmas songs!
These biscuits use our Strong Stoneground Wholemeal Flour as their base. This brings a nutty, crumbly texture which compliments the ginger tones of these biscuits perfectly.
Wholemeal Gingerbread Biscuits
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Makes 20 biscuits
250g Morghew Strong Wholemeal Stoneground Flour
50g light brown sugar
50g butter
5tbsp golden syrup
1 medium egg
2tsp ground ginger
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g icing sugar
1tbsp warm water or lemon juice
Edible Christmas decorations
- Mix the flour and ginger in a large bowl.
- Place the light brown sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan and place over a low heat for a few minutes, until the butter has melted and sugar dissolved. Remove from the hob and stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
- Add the melted mixture to the flour and stir. Beat the egg separately and combine with the mixture, mixing well until you attain a doughy consistency.
- Removing the dough from the mixing bowl, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C Fan/Gas Mark 3). Line 3 baking trays in preparation.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and dust the work surface with some flour to prevent it sticking. Unwrap the dough from the cling film, flour the rolling pin and roll out to approx. 3mm thick. If the dough is too sticky sprinkle extra flour on its surface.
- Using a biscuit cutter of your choice cut out the biscuits and arrange on the lined baking trays, leaving a 2cm gap between each biscuit. Gather the offcuts together, work back into a ball and roll out again. Repeat until all of the dough has been used up. Depending on the size of your cutter you should make approximately 20 biscuits.
- Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool.
- To decorate, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and adding the warm water or lemon juice a little at a time – you need quite a stiff consistency or it will run away! Spoon into an icing bag with a fine nozzle (3mm or smaller) (or snip the very tip of the corner of a sandwich bag to achieve a similar effect and fill with icing).
- Pipe icing onto each cooled biscuit – if you would like a filled in effect you can use a stiffer icing mixture to create a bund around the edge of your biscuit and then fill in with a slightly runnier icing. It takes some practice and patience is key, but a few irregularities add character and make them look more homemade (which is what I tell myself anyway!).
- Decorate with silver balls, sprinkles or whatever you would like to finish.
- Ensure the icing is fully set before serving, or pack up ready to be gifted as a little bite of Christmas cheer.
Sam.