Billington’s Christmas gingerbread hanging biscuits
(4 votes)
Nutritional Info
-
Energy
725KJ
173KCAL
9% -
Fat
4.6g
med
7% -
Saturates
2.9g
high
14% -
Sugars
15.8g
high
18% -
Salt
0.37g
med
6%
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)
- YOU WILL ALSO NEED
- 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
Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Heat 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.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and spices.
Pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl and stir to combine with the spiced flour.
Dissolve 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.
On 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.
Remove 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.
To 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.
Allow the biscuits to dry. Once the decoration is dry, thread some ribbon through the hole and tie the ends together with a knot.
Eat 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.