Gingerbread wreath
MAKES 2 WREATHS OR 30 MEDIUM-SIZED BISCUITS PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION TIME)
You will need three or four different-sized star cutters to make these wreaths. We used 8cm, 6cm, 5cm and 3cm. You can use the Royal Icing to ice the stars on the wreath. 125g butter, softened
½ cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2¾ cups (410g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger
½ cup (125ml) golden syrup or treacle icing sugar, to dust
ROYAL ICING
1 egg white
1½ cups (240g) icing sugar, approximately 1 Beat butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in egg yolk (Step 1, below). Stir in sifted dry ingredients and golden syrup to form a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Divide dough in half; enclose in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2 Roll each portion of dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
3 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two oven trays with baking paper.
4 Cut out 24 large, 12 medium, 16 small and 16 smallest stars with cutters, re-rolling scraps of dough as needed (Step 4). Place two smaller sized stars on one tray and medium and large stars on second tray.
5 Bake the larger stars for 15 minutes and smaller stars for 12 minutes, or until lightly coloured; cool on trays (Step 5).
6 ROYAL ICING Beat egg white in a small bowl with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually beat in enough sifted icing sugar until the mixture is a piping consistency. Keep the icing covered with a damp tea towel to prevent it drying out.
7 Draw a 25cm circle on two pieces of baking paper (Step 7A); turn the paper, marked-side down, onto work surface. Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tube (Step 7B). Following the shape of marked circle, arrange stars in a wreath shape, “glueing” stars to one another with icing (Step 7C). Stand wreath at room temperature until set. Just before serving, dust with sifted icing sugar. Decorate with ribbon and baubles, if desired.
Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.