GINGERBREAD ADVENT MOBILE
Great fun to do with kids, this delicious project helps build festive anticipation! These also make great tree decorations or a tasty afternoon nibble.
Hands-on time 1½hr, plus chilling and cooling. Cooking time about 20min. Makes 24
◆ 125g (4oz) unsalted butter, chopped ◆ 50g (2oz) golden syrup ◆ 125g (4oz) dark brown soft sugar ◆ 275g (10oz) plain flour, plus extra to dust ◆ 1tsp ground cinnamon ◆ ½tsp ground nutmeg ◆ 1tsp ground ginger ◆ ¼tsp ground cloves ◆ ½tsp baking powder ◆ 1 medium egg white
FOR THE ICING AND DECORATION
◆ 1 medium egg white ◆ 250g (9oz) icing sugar, sifted ◆ Sugar sprinkles, optional ◆ Thin ribbon and string, optional, to hang ◆ 3 mobile rings, optional (see GH Tip)
1 In a medium pan over low heat, melt the butter, syrup and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the flour, spices, baking powder and ½tsp fine salt.
2 Beat the egg white into the cooled syrup mixture, then mix liquid into the flour bowl and stir to combine. Bring together, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 3hr or overnight.
3 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 3-5mm (⅛-¼in) thick. Stamp out festive shapes, rerolling trimmings as needed (you’ll need at least 24). Transfer to lined trays, spacing apart. If you intend to hang the biscuits, make a hole in the top of each using a skewer.
4 Bake for 10-12min until golden. Allow to cool for 5min on trays, re-opening ribbon holes if needed. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5 To make the icing, beat egg white in a medium bowl with a handheld electric whisk to stiff peaks. Beat in icing sugar until smooth. Add a couple of drops of water if needed to make into a stiff, pipeable consistency. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain or star nozzle. Decorate biscuits with icing and sugar sprinkles, if you like, not forgetting to add numbers 1-24 if needed. Leave to dry fully.
6 To hang, tie 3 long strings to each mobile ring, spacing evenly and feeding the strings from the smaller two rings up through the centre of the larger one (leave your chosen distance between them). Tie all strings together at the top, making sure the rings hang horizontally and evenly. Trim excess string. If needed, tie on a string loop to hang the mobile.
7 Loop ribbons on to each biscuit and tie evenly to the rings, allowing them to slide so weight can be redistributed after biscuits are removed (we hung numbers 1-6 on the smallest ring, 7-15 on the middle ring and 16-24 on the largest ring, so the calendar is eaten from lower tier up). Stand back and admire your handiwork!
PER BISCUIT 150cals, 2g protein, 4g fat (3g saturates), 26g carbs (17g total sugars), 1g fibre
GH TIP We bought our white coated-metal rings in sizes 15cm, 20cm and 25cm, from £1.56, from littlecraftybugs.co.uk.