Gingerbread wreaths
MAKES 2 PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION & FREEZING TIME)
You will need three or four different-sized star cutters to make these wreaths. We used 8cm, 6cm, 5cm and 3cm.
125g butter, softened
½ cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg yolk
2¾ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 3 teaspoons ground ginger
½ cup (175g) golden syrup or treacle icing sugar, to dust
ROYAL ICING
1 egg white
1½ cups (240g) icing sugar, approximately
1 Beat butter and brown sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in egg yolk. Stir in combined 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 to 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 necessary. Place the two smaller sized stars on one tray and medium and large stars on second tray.
5 Bake larger stars for 15 minutes and smaller stars for 12 minutes, or until lightly coloured. Cool on trays.
6 ROYAL ICING Beat egg white in a small bowl with 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 round on two pieces of baking paper; place papers, markedside down, on work surface. Spoon royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tube.
8 To assemble the wreaths, working with half of each size stars, follow the shape of one marked circle, arranging stars into a wreath shape starting with the larger stars and finishing with the smallest stars; slightly overlap and ‘glue’ stars to one another with the royal icing. Repeat with remaining stars and more icing on second marked circle. Stand wreaths at room temperature until set. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.
Baked or unbaked stars suitable to freeze.