Wonky gingerbread trees
Ingredients
• 125g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 2 Tbsp golden syrup
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2¹⁄³ cups plain flour
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Icing sugar mixture, to dust
Icing
• 1 egg white
• 1¼ cups pure icing sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
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Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line 4 oven trays with baking paper. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add golden syrup, beating to combine. Add egg, beating to combine.
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Sift flour, ginger, cocoa and bicarb over butter mixture, stirring to combine.
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To assemble, put 7cm rounds on a clean flat surface. Sticking together with icing, top each with a 4cm round, 6cm round, 4cm round, 5cm round, 3cm round, 4cm round, 2cm round, 3cm round, then 2cm round. Put star on top of each tree, standing upright. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow icing to set firmly. Serve dusted with icing sugar.
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Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth dough forms. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to 5mm thick. Using round biscuit cutters or cardboard templates, cut out six of each 7cm, 6cm and 5cm rounds; eighteen 4cm rounds; and twelve of each 3cm and 2cm rounds. Using a 2cm star cutter, cut out 6 stars. Re-roll dough as necessary to cut out all pieces. Arrange pieces on prepared trays 3cm apart. Bake two trays at a time for 12 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Cool completely on trays.
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Meanwhile, to make icing, put egg white in the bowl of
an electric mixer and whisk on low for 1 minute or until frothy.
With motor running on low, gradually add icing sugar, whisking after each addition. Add lemon juice and continue whisking until thick and holding its shape. Spoon icing into a disposable piping bag and snip tip to form a 3mm opening. -
To assemble, put 7cm rounds on a clean flat surface. Sticking together with icing, top each with a 4cm round, 6cm round, 4cm round, 5cm round, 3cm round, 4cm round, 2cm round, 3cm round, then 2cm round. Put star on top of each tree, standing upright. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow icing to set firmly. Serve dusted with icing sugar.
