POP Contest #19: Positively Gingerbread Manerific!

Not just any recipe

This is my first ever POP Contest, hosted by @karenmckersie! It’s very exciting to be joining in on all of the positive vibes flowing around.
It took me a long time to think about what to write for this contest, as I hoped to introduce everybody to the POSITIVE ME (especially since this is my second post on Steemit - ever!) So here it is, something that makes me happy - especially at this time of year: GINGERBREAD MEN!

These are my favourite treats for the festive season, possibly the entire year! I have used the same recipe for about 10 years and perfected it over time. Whenever I bake these delightful treats, I am transported back to about 20 years ago, sitting on my grandmothers kitchen floor, scraping the edges of the mixing bowl to get the remaining bits of dough into my belly. To this day, even just the smell of these biscuits can give me nestalgia.

So here it is, my simple recipe for amazing GINGERBREAD MEN:

Ingredients:

(I use the metric system as I am from South Africa, I have not converted the recipe into imperial measurements yet)

350g of plain/cake flour, (plus extra for rolling out)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125g of normal butter (I have always preferred normal salted butter)
175g of light soft brown sugar
1 large free-range egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

Icing ingredients:

Egg white from 1 large egg
300g to 500g of confectioners sugar/icing sugar
1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

Method:

1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon together and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
2. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in cling-wrap and leave it to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with grease-proof/baking paper.
4. Roll out the dough to a 0.5cm thickness on a lightly floured, flat surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a small gap between them.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Allow them to cool completely before moving them onto the wire rack.
6. Prepare your decorating icing by whisking the egg white to make it a little foamy.
7. Stir in your icing sugar gradually until you get a pipeable consistency (I have found that it takes about 400g of icing sugar to get the best results).
8. Add in the lemon juice and mix it in slowly. Add more icing sugar if the consistency is too runny.

I sometimes like to bake the biscuits a little longer to get a crunchy texture for my father (He prefers crunchy). You can also add in an extra 2 tsp of ground ginger to have a spicier flavour.
Well, there you have it - my recipe for one of the worlds most beloved Christmas treats. I really hope you give it a try and let me know how they turn out.
Nestalgia from a happy time in life is enough of a positive boost to keep me smiling!

Image is from Pixabay (I can never get a picture of my Gingerbread men because they get eaten so quickly!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Follow me at @just-write