Gingerbread hearts...

Everyone in my family absolutely adores gingerbread so I decided to make some the other day. I find that it's really hard to get gingerbread right. The dough is always really soft and flakey and they always spread out far too much in the oven. After a few disastrous batches I realised it was because I didn't roll the dough out thin enough. Anyway, here's the recipe and I wish you all the luck in the world with gingerbread success!

- 350g plain flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice/mixed spice
- 125g butter/margarine
- 1 beaten egg
- 5 tbsp golden syrup 

Pop the flour, baking powder, and spices into a large mixing bowl and thoroughly mix.
Add the butter/marg and rub until the mixture turns into fine breadcrumbs.  

Mix together the beaten egg with the golden syrup and add to the mixture.  

Either form this mixture into a ball with your hands and knead for a few minutes until smooth, or pop it in a mixer with a dough hook for a few minutes. 

Wrap the dough in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up. 

Roll out on a floured surface and cut out your shapes.  

Cook on gas mark 4 for 12-15 minutes. When you take them out the oven they might seem a little soft- don't worry. They'll harden up when they cool. If they're hard when they come out the oven then you'll probably break your teeth on them!

Enjoy!!
SX