Gingerbread Tree Ornaments

In a small saucepan, gently heat the butter, golden syrup and sugar together until they are fully melted, stirring occasionally. Allow the mixture to cool slightly once melted.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and flour. Pour the melted buttery mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined and then using your hands to bring together. If needed, add up to 1 tbsp of milk to achieve the right dough consistency. The dough will be soft initially, but it will firm up in the fridge.

Place the dough onto a sheet of baking parchment and shape it into a rectangle. Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment and roll it out to a thickness of approximately ½cm. Carefully transfer the parchment-covered dough to a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 170C fan/340F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and cut out shapes using a cookie cutters of your choice. If you want to hang your biscuits on the Christmas tree make a hole using a skewer where you want to thread your ribbon.

Arrange the shapes on the lined baking tray, making sure to leave some space between them.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins. Keep a close eye on them as cooking times will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutters. They are cooked once they are lightly golden around the edges.

Allow the baked biscuits to cool completely on the baking tray.

While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsps of water. Aim for a consistency that is thick enough for piping but not too thin, as it may run.

Decorate the cooled biscuits with the icing using a piping bag fitted with a thin nozzle. If you’re unsure how to make a piping bag, you can find instructions online.