Name: Gingerbread stars with buttermilk icing
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 350 gm (1 2/3 cups) plain flour; 110 gm chilled butter, diced; 1 tbsp ground ginger; 1 tsp each ground cloves and ground allspice; 2 tsp baking powder; 90 gm golden syrup or treacle; 1 egg; Buttermilk icing; 480 gm pure icing sugar, sieved; 90 ml buttermilk; 1 tsp lemon juice

Gingerbread stars with buttermilk icing

These gingerbread biscuits will be the stars of your Christmas.

Prep

30M

Cook

10M

Total

40M

We love gingerbread any time of the year, but at Christmas it’s an absolute must. Here, a hint of tang in the buttermilk icing adds another level of savour to this festive classic. Buy fresh spices for the best flavour.

Ingredients

350 gm (1 2/3 cups) plain flour

110 gm chilled butter, diced

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp each ground cloves and ground allspice

2 tsp baking powder

90 gm golden syrup or treacle

1 egg

Buttermilk icing

480 gm pure icing sugar, sieved

90 ml buttermilk

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Main

1.Process flour, butter, spices and baking powder, and a generous pinch of salt in a food processor to form fine crumbs. Add golden syrup and egg and process until mixture comes together into a smooth, glossy dough (2-3 minutes; at first it will look dry, but comes together when processed for long enough). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Gingerbread dough can be made 1-2 days ahead.

2.Preheat oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper. Roll out gingerbread dough on a lightly floured piece of baking paper to 4mm thick, transfer to a tray and refrigerate to rest (30 minutes). Cut out stars with biscuit cutters (we used a nesting set for different sizes), transfer to baking trays and bake until edges start to darken (6-8 minutes). Cool on trays for 10 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, for buttermilk icing, combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth, then spread over gingerbread stars and transfer to a wire rack. Stand until set (30 minutes), then serve or store in an airtight container with baking paper between the layers for up to a week.