This post includes a delicious Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe including various shapes as well as a mini gingerbread house, which works amazingly as a gingerbread mug topper (or cupcake topper!)
Mix together the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the eggs and incorporate them well till thoroughly combined.
Sift the various dry ingredients – flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder – into the wet mixture. I like to begin by sifting in the spices and baking powder. I then gradually pour in the flour while mixing the batter.
Mix well until smooth, making sure there are lumps of flour in the batter.
Knead the dough until it is smooth, then roll it out to a thin 5mm sheet. Refrigerate for 15 mins.
Now comes the fun part – using your favourite cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes. *
Bake for 8 mins or until lightly browned at 180ºC. Leave the cookies to cool completely before icing them.
Making the Icing:
Beat the egg whites until they become foamy.
Gradually add the lemon and icing sugar, making sure you incorporate them well into the egg whites.
Beat until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add a few drops of mint extract.
Divide the mixture into bowls and tint each one with the desired colour (if you want to use coloured icing).
Pipe onto cookies, bringing the different characters to life.
Make sure the icing is completely dry before you store the cookies.
Notes
* I estimated that this recipe would make around 40 cookies in various shapes. The shapes you choose are up to you.