Ginger biscuits

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup soft, brown sugar
• 1/3 cup golden syrup
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• a few drops of water

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (170°C for fan assisted ovens). Line a large baking sheet with non-stick paper.
2. Gently melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Sift together the flour, spices and salt. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the cooled butter mixture. Immediately add half the spicy flour and mix well. Add the egg and then the rest of the flour mixture and mix well again until it forms into a soft dough.
4. Form into a flat disk, cover in cling film and refrigerate for atleast half an hour until dough is firm. (Dough will freeze for up to six weeks.) Roll out half the dough on a floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes of your choice. Use a plastic straw to punch out a hole if you’re making a garland (see picture).
5. Arrange the dough shapes spaced apart on the baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let harden on the baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.
6. To decorate: Mix a few drops of water into the sieved icing sugar to form a thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag (you can also use a plastic sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one corner) and pipe around the edges of your biscuits.