Simply Tea: Belated Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Belated Wishes To You All.....

Where has Christmas & New Year gone.... they have raced by while i had my eyes shut! In a blink of any eye the year ends and another begins. Crazy. The pack up from Christmas begins taking down tinsel, fairy lights and baubles. Packing away Christmas carol Cd's and Christmas recipes books.... (meanwhile trying to unpack those Christmas calories that we all indulged in over the festive season)

BUT before you put your Christmas Recipe books away add one last recipe to your Christmas time baking repertoire. I was meant to post this Gingerbread recipe before Christmas and well it seems the season got away on me and here i am posting a out-of-date recipe and photos. Bear with me though.... if your like me and wonder where all that effort and preparation went over the season why not whip a batch of these gorgeous gingerbread (maybe cut different shapes) and sit back with a cuppa and savour the last of the Christmas flavours and ponder on all the happy memories of the season past.

Download Recipe From Here - Thanks to Taste.com.au

Merry Gingerbread Men & Women

Ingredients:

    * Melted butter, to grease
    * 125g butter, at room temperature
    * 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
    * 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
    * 1 egg, separated
    * 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
    * 1 tbs ground ginger
    * 1 tsp mixed spice
    * 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
    * Plain flour, to dust
    * 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
    * Silver Cachous Balls

Method:
1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

3.Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Cover with Cling wrap and place in fridge.

4.Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter (or whatever shape you like) to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.

5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

6. Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Silver Cachous balls.

Simply Tea Sipper

I would with no hesitation recommend our Chai tea to have with these gingerbread men/women! A strong base of India teas, blended with rich warm spices; cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and ginger. These flavours will perfectly compliment the similar flavours and the soft buttery texture in the gingerbread..... simply delightful!