Christmas crazies and Gingerbread

I think I have gone into Christmas denial. It’s probably not a bad way to be, because, honestly Christmas seems a little out of control. Too many presents, too much rushing around trying to find a little something for so-and-so who really doesn’t need it anyway, too much too much too much. Next year I am going to do it differently. I am not sure how, but it’s going to be better because surely it can be. Maybe it’s handmade goodies, or more baking or more oxfam goats or more about family and less about stuff. I can’t help feeling a bit saturated.
But one good thing this year is that amazing gingerbread recipe — it’s SO easy; it’s a melt and mix on, so no creaming of butter and sugar required and it’s really yummy. It’s from a kid’s cookbook called The Children’s Step-by-Step Cookbook (which is the one that tends to inspire Amelia into a kind of food frenzy).

Gingerbread folk (makes about 30 biscuits)

Ingredients:

340g (12 oz) flour
115g (4 oz) butter
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 beaten egg
4 tablespoons of golden syrup
175g (6 oz) soft brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar here)
A few currants

Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup over low heat.

Sift the flour, ginger and bicarb soda into a bowl. Add the syrup mixture and the beaten egg.

Mix everything together and then knead it into a ball.

Chill the dough in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 190c / 375f / Gas mark 5.

Grease baking trays (I just use baking paper).

Sprinkle flour on bench top and rolling pin and roll out dough to a thickness of 1/2 cm (1/4 inch).

Cut out shapes and place on a baking tray. Decorate with currants and then bake for 10-15 mins until they are golden brown. Lift them onto a wire rack to cool.

Try not to eat all of them before you give them away. This step is extremely difficult.