Gingerbread People

Most gingerbread men share the same roughly humanoid shape, with stubby feet and no fingers. Many gingerbread men have a face, though whether the features are indentations within the face itself or other candies stuck on with icing or chocolate varies from recipe to recipe. Other decorations are common; hair, shirt cuffs, and shoes are sometimes applied, but by far the most popular decoration are shirt buttons, which are traditionally represented by gum drops, icing, or raisins.

Recipe for Gingerbread People

Trace outlines of these figures on cardboard and cut out to use as guides for the biscuit shapes.

Gingerbread People look bright and colourful pressed into the icing around a birthday cake. Do this as close as possible to serving time so that the biscuits do not soften.

In place of the royal icing an edible “paint” can be used, and children will have great fun decorating their own biscuits. Simply pour evaporated milk into a few egg cups, colour each with a drop or two of different food colourings. This is then painted on to the biscuits with a clean paint brush. It dries quickly.

125g (4oz) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg yolk
2 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger
2 ½ tablespoons golden syrup

ROYAL ICING
1 ½ cups pure icing sugar
1 egg white
4 drops lemon juice
food colouring

STEP 1
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg yolk, beat well. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and syrup, mix well, knead lightly. Divide dough into 6 portions. Roll each portion between two sheets of greaseproof paper to 3mm Min) thickness.

STEP 2
Gently remove greaseproof paper from top. Cut out gingerbread figures with special cutter or cut around cardboard shape with a sharp knife. Remove any excess mixture around the cut-out figures.

STEP 3
Lift gingerbread figure by the bottom sheet of greaseproof paper, then turn on to lightly greased oven trays. Peel greaseproof paper away. Bake in moderate oven 10 minutes. Cool on trays. Spoon royal icing into small plastic bag, snip off one corner to make a piping bag. Pipe on features and clothing.

Royal Icing: Sift icing sugar. Beat egg white lightly in a small bowl, using a wooden spoon. Add icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When icing reaches piping consistency, beat in lemon juice and desired food colouring.

Makes about 20.

Also see our gingerbread men article Gingerbread Men
baking with Bill & Sheila
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