MAKE YOUR OWN GINGERBREAD MEN!

Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread men. And even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you can still enjoy these tasty snacks - here's how to make your own!

You will need:
350g plain flour (a little extra for dusting)
175g light, soft sugar
100g butter
1 medium egg
4 tablespoons golden syrup (extra for decorating)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Rolling pin
Man-shaped cookie cutter
Baking tray
Sweets to decorate

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (gas mark 4)
• Sift flour into large bowl with bicarbonate of soda and ginger
• Add butter to flour mixture and mix in with fingertips until crumbly
• Mix in sugar
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg and syrup together
• Slowly add and mix in egg-syrup mix to flour mix until it forms a firm pastry.
• You might not need to use all the egg mix, if you add too much the dough will be sticky then add flour until it is firm again.
• Lightly dust a clean surface and the rolling pin with flour and roll out pastry until 5mm thick
• Use cookie cutter to cut out shapes in the rolled out dough.
• Carefully place cut out cookie shapes on a greased baking tray, 2cm apart.
• Place tray in pre-heated oven and bake for 15min, but checking after 10.
• Allow to cool COMPLETELY before decorating

To decorate:
• Using a butter knife, spread golden syrup as a glue to stick the decoration sweets to your gingerbread man

Enjoy!