Winter Wonderland

Winter is well and truly here. All the trees are bare, arctic winds are blowing around every corner and colds and flues are making the rounds in one and all. Warming stews and soups are our dinner time staples and Vitamin C rich fruits and veggies are being eaten in massive amounts. I'm constantly looking for the sunniest spot in our flat for me and little T to sit and I have even dusted off my crochet needles to make us each a cosy blanket to snuggle up under.

I have also been keeping the oven running with lots of pre-Christmas baking. Spiced apple cake, sticky toffee pudding, cranberry and coconut cookies and a dark chocolate and orange loaf have all come out of the kitchen this month and have all disappeared into our greedy tummies. But nothing says Christmas baking like a batch of Ginger Harrys and that's exactly what I made yesterday afternoon. With the tree decorated and all lit up, mesmerising little T for a while, I got my tin of cookie cutters out, whipped up the royal icing and soon had a small army of men and even some trees ready for munching as the evening closed in. 

If you are feeling the Christmas spirit and want to get the oven on to keep the winter out, go and make your own little gingerbread men, trees or even stars!

• 100g butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 350g self-raising flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten

Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan on a gentle heat and set aside to slightly cool. Mix together the flour, ginger and sugar in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter and syrup. Lightly mix and then add in the egg, then get stuck in with your (clean) hands. Knead the mix until it comes together and is smooth. Wrap in some cling-film and put into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

Preheat your oven to 180°C and lightly grease a couple of cookie sheets. Take your dough out of the fridge and give it another good knead until it feels slightly more elastic. Roll it out on a clean, flat surface to about 6mm thick. You can either use cookie cutters or your own templates and a sharp knife to cut out your cookies. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 8-10 minutes, until they are lightly golden. Leave on the sheet for a couple of minutes to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating with royal icing.

Have Fun!!!!!!