17 Dec 2013

gingerbread biscuits for a happy christmas

The biscuit baking journey has reached its ultimate destination:


Happy Christmas everyone!

This is my last post for the year. Thank you again for your support, humour, advice and comments throughout 2013; I am constantly amazed and inspired by the lovely people I have met thru blogging.

I wish you and your family the Christmas of your dreams (mine: a quiet one, with sunshine). Take care wherever you are in the world, enjoy your Christmas dinner, and remember: there's always room for desserts.

e XX


Gingerbread biscuits
Adapted from a Donna Hay recipe. How many biscuits this makes depends on the size and shape of the cutter you choose.
  • Cream 125 gms soft butter with 1/2 cup light brown sugar for about 8-10 minutes.
  • Add 150 gms golden syrup (I heated mine gently in the microwave to get it pourable).
  • Add 1 1/2 heaped tspns of both ground ginger and mixed spice, and a good pinch of ground cloves.
  • Now sift in and fold thru 2 1/2 cups plain flour and 1 tspn bicarb of soda. Get your hands in and squeeze together until it forms a dough.
  • What you do next depends on your dough (and, it seems, the weather). The first time I made this (the test run), the weather was warm and so the dough was soft and pliable, so I rolled the dough out to about 4 mm thick between two sheets of baking paper, then chilled overnight (or at least half an hour). The second time I made this, the day was colder, and the dough was harder and more tempermental, so I squeezed it as best I could, chilled it overnight to give it a chance to come together, then rolled it out the next day between two sheets of baking paper.
  • When ready, preheat your oven to 180.
  • Choose your favourite cookie cutter and stamp away, flouring the cutter between each biscuit to prevent sticking (especially if you are dealing with an intricate shape like reindeers' antlers. Whose bright idea was this? Reattachment may be necessary). Transfer the individual biscuits to a lined tray. Once you have cut as much as you can from the sheet of dough, you can either re-roll the scraps and start again, or roll the scraps into small balls and flatten slightly with a floured fork.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden, rotating the trays halfway thru. Once done, remove and cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Decorate if your skills run to that area (mine don't). 

20 comments:

  1. Your gingerbread is perfect e! Too cute. Have a lovely restful Christmas, whatever you are up to. I have loved calling into your blog this year and I am grateful when you call into mine with your thoughtful comments.

    See you soon, oh and I will definitely leave room for dessert! x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you jane - I have always enjoyed a glimpse into your beautiful country life through your blog. I hope you and your family have a wonderful christmas, and the weather in borken hill is not toooo hot. XX

    ReplyDelete
  3. Merriest of Christmas's to you Elizabeth.
    Hope you have a relaxing break.
    See you in the New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carla - happy holiday wishes to you and your family too. I hope you survive the heat - i am betting we have a trackpants-and-uggies cold day for christmas here in Hobart, so i shall think of you!

      Delete
  4. Oh how absolutely gorgeous! Happy Christmas and season's eatings to you and yours too. Thank you for your readership and support... I look forward to reading more of your gardening and kitchen adventures in 2014 xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seasons eatings - i love it! happy christmas to you too lizzy. i love my return trips to canberra via good things - see you next year XX

      Delete
  5. These are adorable!

    Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes and garden stories with us. I have been both inspired and educated.

    I am hoping you have a lovely time with your family and that there are no weather surprises. I am looking forward to a nice quiet one too.

    So Merry Christmas E and a Happy New Year to all! SB xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. thank you for your lovely words and thoughts, SB. yes, let's hope our hobart weather is nice and warm. though maybe not as warm as today's forecast!
    merry christmas to you and your family too, SB XX

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely looking biscuits, and just right for Christmas. If I can find a reindeer cookie cutter, I will definitely be making some! Hope you have a peaceful and sunshine-filled Christmas all the way over there in Hobart.

    ReplyDelete
  8. hello garden deli! i found my reindeer cutters online! ah the temptations. thank you for your christmas wishes, and i hope you too have a lovely christmas in your lovely corner of the world!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Christmas e, it is definitely gingerbread season. Hope you find a cool corner to hide in today:) Enjoy your relaxed family Christmas xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. thank you Jo - i'm sort of just hanging out for tomorrow's forecast 18 and rain. isn't that terrible? i'm more worried about my vegies and flowers than me.
    i hope you too have a lovely christmas XX

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh the reindeer shapes are so cute! Happy Christmas! xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've enjoyed 'meeting' you e and look forward to popping back late January (having a blogging break till then) I love the reindeer cookie cutter, the biscuits look lovely. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours. Enjoy summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you catherine - i've enjoyed discovering and reading you too. happy holiday and break-from-technology wishes to you too!

      Delete
  13. The cutest cookies to end the year e! This is a very belated happy christmas and new year! Hope you're enjoying the summer! Looking forward to sharing many more recipes in 2014!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. and here's a belated thank you for your wishes and happy new year to you, paula. happy cooking and eating in 2014!

      Delete
  14. Replies
    1. hello rachel and a belated welcome to dig in. ah, that is the $64,000 question!

      Delete

Word-verification is on, as the robot-spammers are loving my tuna past bake too much at the moment! I hope you understand - and I hope you'll still leave a comment at Dig In. I love hearing your thoughts, knowing someone is reading, and will always reply. Unless you're a robot-spammer.