RecipesBillington’s Christmas gingerbread hanging biscuits
These delicious, traditionally spiced tree decorations are good enough to eat!
These delicious, traditionally spiced tree decorations are good enough to eat!
By Asda Good Living,2nd November 2020
Cook: 1 Hour 20 Mins
Serves: 24
Price: 12p per serving
Nutritional Information
Each 45g serving contains
of your reference intake.
Typical energy values per 100g:
1611kj/385kcal
Ingredients
2tbsp black treacle
2tbsp golden syrup
225g Billington’s Light Muscovado Natural Unrefined Cane Sugar
450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1tbsp ground ginger
1tsp mixed spice
1tbsp cinnamon powder
1tbsp bicarbonate of soda
5tbsp whole milk
100g Icing sugar
Edible silver balls (optional)
10cm Christmas-themed cookie cutters, such as star and tree shapes
Skewer
Piping bag with a fine plain nozzle
Ribbon or string to hang the biscuits
Method
1Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
2Heat the butter, treacle, golden syrup and sugar gently in a pan until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
3In a large bowl, mix together the flour and spices.
4Pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl and stir to combine with the spiced flour.
5Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into 1tbsp of the milk and add to the bowl. Combine to make a smooth dough, adding more of the milk as needed. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins to firm up.
6On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to about ½cm thick. Cut out shapes using the cookie cutters, re-rolling the offcuts until all the dough is used up. Arrange on the baking sheets, spaced apart, then bake for 10-15 mins until starting to brown at the edges.
7Remove from the oven and, while the biscuits are still soft, make one hole in each with the point of a skewer. It should be large enough to thread the ribbon through, but with plenty of biscuit surrounding it. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
8To decorate (up to 1 day before eating), mix the icing sugar with 3-5tsp cold water to form a stiff paste. Fill the piping bag and carefully pipe on dots or lines on to decorate the biscuits. If using edible silver balls, add while the icing is still wet.
9Allow the biscuits to dry. Once the decoration is dry, thread some ribbon through the hole and tie the ends together with a knot.
10Eat the biscuits within 1 day of icing. If making ahead, store the undecorated biscuits in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.