What Laura Made: Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread. Typically the feast of the festive season, or so you may think. But Christmas or not, gingerbread is a wonderfully wintry treat and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea on a chilly afternoon. So, on the day when snow finally hit Glasgow, my boy and I decided that it was the perfect time to indulge!

Gingerbread is incredibly simple to make, so here we go...

You'll need:

• 200g sieved plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or clear honey if you prefer a less sweet taste)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 90g light brown sugar
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutter!

Firstly, melt the butter and syrup together in a pan on a low heat, until it becomes a sticky sauce. Set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate and spices in a bowl and mix together.

Add in the egg, and the butter/syrup sauce. Stir gently until it comes together, and then use your hands to knead the mixture into a firm dough. If the dough is too soft, add some more flour, and if it's too firm, add a splash of water. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. While it's resting, preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin, and place your dough in it. Roll it out to about 5mm thickness. This recipe should make 6-8 men depending on your thickness and the size of your cutter. Cut out your men and place on a tray covered in baking parchment. We made some little mini hearts with the leftover dough too.

Decorate with sugar pearls.

Bake for 10 minutes, until golden and soft. Enjoy!