Tis’ the season to eat gingerbread men!! I spent ages trying to find a way to make tasty gluten free gingerbread, and found this the recipe works a treat. It is simple with very few ingredients, and super fun to make. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy these festive treats, so get baking!!
INGREDIENTS
For the gingerbread
- 175g gluten free plain flour (I am using Doves Farm) – plus extra for dusting
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon xantham gum
- 100g soft dark brown sugar
- 100g butter (unsalted, softened)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
- 1 tablespoon of black treacle
- 1 tablespoon hot water
For the icing
- 300g royal icing sugar
- Warm water
METHOD
Makes approximately 6-8 gingerbread men
- Preheat the oven to 160C / Gas Mark 3.
- Start by mixing the flour, xantham gum, ginger and spices in a bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the syrup, treacle and water and beat again. TIP: Place your tablespoon for the treacle and syrup in a mug of boiling water prior to heat up, this will make it MUCH easier to get your treacle out of the tin without making such a mess.
- Gradually add the flour until you get a stiff mixture.
- Coat your hands in flour and bring into a ball. Roll out until approx 1cm in thickness.
- Cut out using your gingerbread man cookie cutter (or other cutters if you prefer) and keep rolling out until you have used up all the mixture.
- Carefully place onto a greased or lined baking tray, with a good distance between each gingerbread as they may expand slightly during baking. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes until golden. Make sure your oven isn’t too hot, as they come out a lot better at a lower heat for a longer period of time (this may vary depending on your oven).
- When they are done, leave them to cool, they will be very delicate and will need to solidify so do not try and move them until they have cooled.
- Now prepare your icing. Mix approx 300g of icing sugar with a little warm water until you get a thick consistency (that will hold when piped – add more water and icing sugar until you get your desired consistency), then pipe onto the cookies. This style icing sets very quickly so is perfect for gingerbread men.
- Enjoy!!
Gingerbread men are so much fun to make and decorate, and baking is a perfect family activity for over the Christmas holidays! Just because you can’t eat gluten doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious gingerbread just like everyone else.
I hope you love this recipe just as much as I do and enjoy the festive season!
K
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