Christmas Gingerbread Reindeer Biscuits

Yield - 12 large reindeers

Ingredients

150g butter

75g dark brown sugar

225g golden syrup

340g plain flour

15g bicarbonate of soda

3 teaspoons ginger

1 small tube of Smarties

1 small piping bag of water icing

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger, combining well.

2. In a sauce pan gently heat the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar: do not boil, just melt the butter.

3. Pour the buttery mixture into the mixing bowl and mix well with the wooden spoon. Don’t be alarmed, the mixture will be sticky, allow time for the butter to cool down and set the mixture before rolling out.

4. Once the mixture is ready to roll out, dust a work surface with flour and roll out the reindeer dough to the thickness of a pound coin using a little flour.

5. Stamp out your reindeer biscuits using a large gingerbread man cutter and place them onto parchment-lined baking trays allowing room to spread out.

6. Bake your reindeer biscuits in a preheated oven 170c/gas mark 5 for 12 minutes until golden brown in colour.

7. Cool fully on the baking tray before getting the kids to decorate them with water icing and Smarties – ‘’red ones for the nose’’.

8. Once the baking is complete, turn your gingerbread man upside down and decorate his legs as antlers and arms as ears.

* These amazing reindeer biscuits make great Christmas tree decorations.

All you have to do is poke a small hole through the head of the reindeer when it comes out of the oven.

Allow to cool fully before poking through a red ribbon to hang on your Christmas tree.