Gingerbread trees with clementine and ginger syrup icing – recipe

Biscuit-baking is in full force at this time of year. I’ve been making a veritable forest of these gingerbread trees – they are more exciting than shop-bought biscuits and cost considerably less.

For optimum sticky gingerbread, be sure not to roll the dough too thin and keep an eye on the cooking time – too little and you’ll end up with raw gingerbread, too long and you’ll lose the bread in the gingerbread. The chopped stem ginger adds to the flavour and stickiness.

Icing sugar with a little water added will work, but substitute the water for clementine juice and add the stem ginger syrup for an icing that really rocks.

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(Makes 10-20)

350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

2 tsp ground ginger

125g cold butter, diced

150g soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp stem ginger syrup

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp stem ginger, chopped, plus extra for topping

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark three.

Line enough baking trays for the amount of biscuits you want to bake with greaseproof paper. Surplus dough can be stored for up to a week in the fridge and baked when needed.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ground ginger into to the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar, pulse again, and add the syrups, glace ginger and egg. Blitz briefly until the mixture comes together and forms a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out to half a centimetre thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use cutters to cut the gingerbread into shapes and place on the baking trays, leaving a gap between each one. You can re-roll the trim after giving it a quick knead.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack. When cool, decorate with the icing (recipe below) and extra glace ginger.

Clementine and ginger icing

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125g icing sugar

2 clementines, juiced

2½ tsp stem ginger syrup

In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar and juice. Beat in the syrup until the icing is smooth and glossy.

Tip into a small piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off for decorative icing, or simply dip the biscuit ends in the icing to coat the tops of your trees.