We have begun making gingerbread again. Once we begin we make it almost everyweek until mid January at least. We give it away, we sell it at bake sales, we decorate it with friends and, of course we eat it. The recipe was a Jill Dupleix “Recipe of the Week” on the Doug Aiton radio program in 1995 and I have used it ever since.

Gingerbread

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup
90g butter
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
500g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten

Combine sugar, golden syrup, butter, spices and fresh ginger in a heavy-based pan over low heat, and let melt, stirring. Remove from heat for two minutes, and stir in bicarbonate of soda until light and fluffy

Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, add eggs and gradually add the syrup, beating until all the flour is incorporated and you have a dough. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for an hour.

Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius, and roll out dough thinly on a floured surface. Cut into shapes and place on trays lined with baking paper. Bake for ten minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before removing from tray. Cool on a wire rack. This makes about 25 cookies depending on what size cutters you use.