Gingerbread People Recipe NZ

Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Cut the butter into small lumps and place in a large mixing bowl. Place the sugars, treacle and spices in a heavy-based saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until melted together and the mixture comes to the boil.
Add the baking soda and stir again until the mixture froths up and turns a pale gold.
Remove from the heat and pour the treacle mixture onto the butter. Stir well until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth.
Mix in the egg, then sift the flour and stir in, one cup at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly until smooth.
Divide in half and shape each portion into a rectangle. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for a few minutes if the dough seems too soft to roll easily.
Roll out one piece of the dough at a time to 5mm thickness. Cut out shapes and place on the prepared trays. The dough will be quite soft to begin with and you may need to use a spatula to lift the biscuits. You can re-roll the scraps several times – the dough does not get tough.
Bake for 15–20 minutes until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown. Leave on the trays for a 1–2 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool. When cold, ice the Gingerbread People with Royal Icing.

Gingerbread People