Gingerbread Snowflakes

Ingredients

• 90g butter
• ¼ cup (55g) firmly packed soft brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 150g treacle
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups (225g) plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Royal Icing

• 2 egg whites
• pinch cream of tartar
• 2 ¼ cups pure icing sugar, sifted 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan forced Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Assemble mixer using scraper beater. Add the butter, sugar, salt, treacle and spices to bowl. Slowly turn the mixer to CREAM/BEAT setting and beat for 1 minute.
3. Reduce speed to KNEAD/FOLD setting; add remaining ingredients and mix until mixture just forms a thick dough.
4. Place dough onto a floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin roll the mixture out to a 5mm thickness. Using a shaped cutter approximately 8cm in size cut out shapes and place onto prepared trays.
5. Bake for about 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  Repeat with remaining dough.
6. To make royal icing: Assemble mixer using the scraper beater and the large mixer bowl. Add egg whites and cream of tartar into mixer bowl. Turn mixer to LIGHT MIXING setting until egg whites are lightly mixed. Reduce speed to KNEAD/FOLD setting and add icing sugar, a heaped spoonful at a time, and mix until well combined.
7. Place icing into a piping bag and decorate gingerbread as desired. Icing will harden on standing.

Tip: To make a gingerbread house the mixture needs to be doubled. We recommend using the standard paddle if doubling the recipe.