Gingerbread Men

With Christmas just around the corner this recipe is super easy and delicious to make with the kids over the holidays, it's also egg-free which is perfect for children with egg allergies.

GINGERBREAD MEN

(Recipe from Donna Hay Kids Magazine Issue 7)

Makes 16

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar
2/3 cup (230g) golden syrup
2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
m&ms to decorate 

ICING

1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons boiling water


1. Preheat oven 180C. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat for 10-12 minutes or until pale and creamy. 

2. Add the golden syrup, flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda and beat until mixture just comes together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

3. Roll dough out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper until 5mm thick. Use gingerbread cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool on trays.

4. Place the icing sugar and boiling water in a bowl and mix to combine. 

5. Spoon icing into a piping bag with a 3mm nozzle and decorate the gingerbread. 

Tip: An easy way to decorate your cookies is to press the m&ms into the dough before you bake them, saves on time and mess. ENJOY!

Chocolate Afghan Christmas Pudding Cookies Recipe

I've been meaning to post up these cute little Chocolate Afghan Cookies I made for my Nanny Family for Christmas but haven't had the time. This is Annabel Langbeins recipe from her Summer Annual book 'A Free Range Life.

I make this recipe all the time for the kids lunch boxes as it makes quite a lot.

You can top these with or without chocolate Icing, either way they taste great.

I put the cookies in a cute jar and tied a ribbon around the top, they made a great home baked gift.

Chocolate Afghans

Makes about 50

400g butter,at room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

3 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

4 cups cornflakes (I sometime do just 3 cups as its quite hard to roll into perfect balls)

To Ice (optional)

200g dark or white chocolate, broken into chunks.

1 bag of Jaffas

Green Sprinkles.

Preheat oven to 180.C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, stir in flour and cocoa, then mix in cornflakes with a wooden spoon, taking care not to crush them. Place tablespoonful of mixture onto prepared trays and flatten a little.

Bake until set (12-15 minutes). Allow to cool on a tray for 5 minutes then transfer on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

To make the Christmas puddings melt chocolate and spread over the tops of the cooled cookies. Top with a Jaffa and green sprinkles.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

The silly season is upon us and our untraditional white tree is up. Christmas is my favourite time of year and this one is very special as its my Baby girls first Christmas, she is only 6 months old so she's going to have no idea what's going on but I want to share with her my love for Christmas and create memories and family traditions with her. I also love to bake Christmas cookies with my nieces and decorate them in all sorts of yummy candies. This Chocolate Gingerbread recipe is very yummy and very good for making mini Gingerbread house with.

Chocolate Gingerbread

150g butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup golden syrup

1 egg yolk (save the egg white for icing)

2 1/4 cups plain flour

2 tbls baking cocoa

1 tbls ground ginger

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp baking soda

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in syrup and egg yolk. Sift flour, cocoa, spices and soda together. Add to creamed mixture and mix well using a wooden spoon. wrap dough in glad wrap and chill for 15 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 180.C Line two baking trays with baking paper. roll out dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until even and 5mm thick and using a Chritsmas tree or Gingerbread man cutter. cut out shapes. arramge on a tray. Bake for 6-8 mintues, then cool on a wire rack. Cool completely.

Royal Icing: In a medium bowl,whisk egg white until frothy. Add icing sugar, one spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition, until it reaches piping consistency. Beat in lemon juice.

Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pipe decorations onto each cookie and decorate as you like or you could just leave icing in a bowl and use a knife or Popsicle stick if decorating with children to put icing on cookies. 

Tip: to make traditional gingerbread, replace cocoa powder with 1/4 cup extra plain flour.

Have fun, get creative and have a safe and Merry Christmas xx

Heres the mini Gingerbread houses my nieces and I made.

Christmas Treats from Bakers Delight and Christmas Cake Reicpe

      

I was so lucky to receive two lovely goodie bags from Baker Delight last week both filled with a 6 pack of Fruit mince pies and a Christmas cake, and I have to say they were both delicious my family were very lucky to get to taste them with me and they all agreed. The pastry from the fruit mince pie are beautiful and go down nice with a hot cuppa. Since they Bakers Delight were so generous at giving me two bags I decided to do a little competition on my Facebook page and give it away to my friends who had to answer a simple question which was 'How long has Bakers Delight been around for?. If you want to know the answer or if you would like to buy some of these Christmas goodies for yourself then head over to there website www.bakersdelight.co.nz to find out.

                                 

If you would like to make your own Christmas Cake this year Try Annabel Langbeins easy three-ingredient Christmas Cake recipe.

Annabel Langbeins Three-Ingrediant Christmas Cake.

Makes: 1 medium cake

Cook about 1 hour 15 mins

1kg mixed dried fruit

2 1/2 cups (600ml) milk

2 3/4 cups self-raising flour, or 2 3/4 cups plain flour mixed with 2 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp sherry, rum or whisky, to brush (optional)

icing sugar, to dust on top (optional)

Place dried fruit in a bowl,cover with milk and leave to soak overnight in the fridge.

The next day, preheat oven to 160.C and line a medium(23cm diameter) springform cake tin with baking paper.

Stir flour into fruit mixture until evenly combined and smooth into prepared tin. Bake until it is risen, set and golden and a skewer inserted onto the centre comes out clean (check after about 1 1/4 hours and return to oven for a little longer if needed). Remove from oven and, while still hot, brush with sherry,rum or whiskey, if using. Cool in the tin before turning out. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for several weeks. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar, using doily cut-out or snowflake stencils to create festive patterns (optional). Enjoy :)

Cheats Christmas Cookies

Over Christmas I usually bake a lot but since I was in my 1st trimester of my pregnancy baking made me feel really nauseous :(. I still really wanted to do some Christmas baking so I cheated and bought a Betty Crocker Sugar cookie mix and made some cookies with my nieces, they were so good and easy to make. The girls had a lot of fun decorating the cookies to put out for Santa and to give as gifts for family and friends.

Here's the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix I bought from Marthas Backyard In Mt Wellington Auckland.

I even cheated with the icing. This stuff is great you just add water to get the right consistency you want.

Buy from your local supermarket.

Santa really enjoyed his cookies :)

I hope you all had a Lovely Christmas.

xoxo

Christmas Baking

Yay! Christmas is nearly here, so you know what that means lots of christmas baking. I made a lil package for my inlaws for christmas filled with star shortbread and mini pecan pies.

All packed up and ready to go.