GINGERBREAD

VERY SPECIAL GIANT CRUMBLY PERSON (MAN OR WOMAN) As the title suggests, this is a very special gingerbread recipe that I spent months and months trying to perfect, based on one of the most famous secret recipes in the world. This is as close as I can get to the real deal and it’s incredibly good. SERVES 8 35 MINUTES 400g quality shortbread 170g demerara sugar 3 level teaspoons ground ginger 70g plain flour 1 pinch of baking powder 40g mixed peel 40g crystallised ginger 40g golden syrup 40g black treacle 70g unsalted butter ♥ Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/gas 4. Line a shallow baking tray (20cm x 35cm) with greaseproof paper. Roughly crumble the shortbread into a food processor, then add the sugar and 2 teaspoons of the ground ginger and blitz into crumbs. Remove 100g of the mixture and put aside, then add the remaining teaspoon of ginger, the flour and baking powder to the processor. Chop the peel and crystallised ginger, add to the processor and blitz until well mixed. ♥ Melt the golden syrup, treacle and butter together in a large pan, then stir in the mixture from the processor until everything is thoroughly mixed. Tip into the tray and spread out evenly, compacting the mixture well with the back of a spoon. ♥ Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until nicely golden, then remove from the oven and scatter over the reserved crumb mixture, pressing that in well with the back of a spoon. Carefully cut into the shape of a gingerbread man or woman with a sharp knife. Cut the surrounding gingerbread into bite-sized chunks, using little cutters to stamp in shapes where you’ve got more room. Leave to cool completely in the tray, then, to get your person out in one piece, carefully ease out all the little pieces around the edge first, allowing you a bit of space to carefully and proudly lift out your gingerbread person. Decorate as you wish, then serve in the middle of the tea table and let everyone snap off the bit they want most! LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS This is always best eaten on the day you make it, but any leftovers are good crumbled over vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso – gingerbread affogato, here we go. NUTRITION PER SERVING 498 kcal; 22g fat (13.1g saturated); 3.8g protein; 75.6g carbs; 44.2g sugars; 0.6g salt; 1.9g fibre ➤