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Lyle's Gingerbread Christmas Tree

Lyle's Gingerbread Christmas Tree

A yummy crunchy Christmas treat

Serves

10

PREP TIME

50 minutes

COOK TIME

10-12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

GINGERBREAD

  • 350g plain flour, and a little extra for rolling
  • 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 rounded tsp ground ginger
  • 110g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 175g light Muscovado cane sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 4tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup

ICING

  • 1 large egg white
  • 175g icing sugar
  • Silver balls, to decorate

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Rub the butter into a mixture of flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger in a mixing bowl. Once you get fine breadcrumbs, add the Light Muscovado Cane Sugar.
  2. Make a well in the centre, drop in the egg and Lyle’s Golden Syrup and mix them in with a wooden spoon to make a soft, smooth dough.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°Fan, 375°F, Gas 5.  While it warms up, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll it out to 5mm (¼”) and cut out 6 different sized stars with star cookie cutters. Transfer them into 2 lightly greased baking trays, then re-roll the remaining dough and repeat the process until you have least 18 stars.
  4. Bake on the top and middle shelves for 10-12 minutes, swapping trays halfway, until slightly darkened. Leave them for a few minutes to firm up, and then transfer them to a wire rack.
  5. Don't forget the icing - lightly whisk the egg white in a mixing bowl and gradually sift in the icing sugar. When the consistency is a bit like toothpaste (but tastier), spoon the icing into the piping bag.
  6. To assemble your tree, blob four small dollops of icing on the top of an empty Lyle’s Golden Syrup tin and secure a large star to it. Place a single blob of icing in the centre of the star and gently press another large star on top – with its points going in a different direction.
  7. Repeat with all the stars going from large to small until you have a Christmas tree shape.
  8. Decorate with more icing, silver balls and a sprinkle icing sugar for a snowy finish.