Gingerbread Men

These Gluten Free Gingerbread Men will make your house smell like Christmas, entertain the kids and quite simply make everyone happy. They're soft, chewy, a little spicy and healthier than the others. Find your favourite cookie cutters and have some fun.

Gluten Free · Nut Free

Makes 1½ kg

Ingredients

Gingerbread

450g / 3 cups Anything But Ordinary Plain Flour

3 teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon mixed spice

½ teaspoon bicarb soda

125g / ½ cup butter

55g / ¼ cup light brown sugar

175g / ½ cup golden syrup

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

Icing

2 egg whites

310g / 2¾ cups icing sugar, sieved

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Method

Gingerbread

Sieve the Anything But Ordinary Plain Flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarb soda into a bowl. Whisk together.

Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat and stir to combine. Once butter melts take off the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool 5 minutes then stir in the egg yolk. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough has formed. Flatten into two disc shapes and wrap before placing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Have ready a few cookie trays.

Rub a small amount of flour over a sheet of baking paper same size as the cookie tray, place on a disc of dough from the fridge and put another sheet of baking paper over the disc. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough about 5mm thick between the sheets of baking paper. Remove top sheet and place your cut out shapes on top. Lift away excess dough. To retain the shapes it’s best to slide a tray under the baking paper and put the uncooked shapes in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.

Repeat with the other disc of dough and after the second roll combine the leftovers from both discs to cut out the last few shapes. Always roll the dough on the piece of baking paper it will be baked on so it’s not necessary to move the shapes once cut. Remember to leave some space between pieces when cutting out so they remain separate while baking.

Bake for 15 minutes until crisp. Leave on trays to cool.

Icing

Add egg whites, sieved icing sugar and cream of tartar to a mixer bowl and beat for about 7 minutes til smooth and creamy. Beating for too long will cause cracking once the icing is dry. Keep covered with plastic wrap pressed onto the icing so it remains soft while using.

Can be stored in a tightly sealed zip lock bag for a couple of days provided all air has been removed. Use a piping bag and nozzles of choice to decorate each piece of the house. Glue together using a thick layer of icing on each joint and base. Let the sides set before assembling the roof. If any icing has cracked off while joining the pieces just pipe over.