by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe makes: 2 dozen

Calories per biscuit: 125

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Suitable for freezing at end of step 5.

Christmas recipe ingredients:

flour, plain white 350 g (12 oz)

bicarbonate of soda, 5 ml (1 tsp)

ginger, ground 30 ml (2 tbsp)

cinnamon, ground 15 ml (1 tbsp)

cloves, ground 2.5 ml (0.5 tsp)

butter, 125 g (4 oz)

sugar, soft light brown 175 g (6 oz)

golden syrup 60 ml (4 tbsp)

egg, 1

icing:

egg white, 1

icing sugar, sifted

food coloring

Christmas recipe instructions:

1. Blend the butter with a mixture of the spices, bicarbonate of soda and flour. Do this until it is breadcrumb like and then mix in the sugar.

2. Beat an egg into slightly warmed syrup and pour into the mixture from step 1, mixing till it becomes a soft dough. Then knead until smooth.

3. Make a 5mm (¼ inch) thick dough layer on a floured surface and cut out biscuit shapes using vaious cutters. Pierce a hole in each one for putting ribbon through later on , for hanging.

4. Put two non-stick baking sheets on two baking trays.

5. Place the various shaped cut outs onto the baking sheets and bake at 190 degrees centigrade (375 F) until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool and harden for about 10 m inutes before placing on a wire rack till cold.

6. For the icing add sifted icing sugar to a beaten egg until stiff enough for piping. Add colorings if necessary to brighten up the decorations.

7. Put icing patterns of your choice on the biscuits. After allowing the biscuits to dry, put ribbons through the biscuit holes, ready for hanging on a christmas tree.