Lyle’s Gingerbread Reindeer

Name: Lyle’s Gingerbread Reindeer
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 62 min
Yield: 10+
Ingredients: 350 g Plain flour; 1 tsp Bicarbonate soda; 2 tsp Ground ginger; 110 g Cold unsalted butter, cubed; 175 g Fairtrade Tate & Lyle Light Muscovado Sugar; 1 Large eggs; 3 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup Tin; 175 g Fairtrade Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar; 100 g Chocolate; 1 tsp Black food colouring; Water

Rating 0.0

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Prep

50 mins

Bake

10-12 mins

Serves

10+

Difficulty

Easy

About

Bake up some festive cheer with these absolutely golden gingerbread reindeer! Spiced to perfection, they’re an easy, family-friendly recipe, perfect for getting Santa’s little helpers involved. Whip up a batch to enjoy at home, wrap them up as syruperb homemade gifts, or leave a plate out for the Big Man himself. However you share them, these golden bakes are guaranteed to have everyone coming back for seconds.

made using

Lyle’s Breakfast Bottle

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Quick & Easy Gingerbread Easy Biscuits & Brownies 10+

Instructions

Ingredients

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Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170° Fan, 375°F, Gas 5. While it heats up, you can get started on your dough. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger. Then, rub the butter into the mix until you get fine breadcrumbs. After that, stir through the Light Muscovado Cane Sugar.

Step 2

Create a well in the centre and add in your egg and golden syrup. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.

Step 3

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until it’s smooth, but don’t get carried away! Gentle hands make softer biscuits.

Step 4

Roll the dough to 5mm (¼”) thick and cut out shapes with a gingerbread man cutter. Place the cut-outs on trays lined with baking paper, leaving space between each one. Repeat the process until all the dough is used and let them rest for 20 minutes before baking.

Step 5

Once rested, pop the trays onto the top and middle shelves of the oven. Bake for 10–12 minutes until your gingerbread has slightly darkened. Leave them to cool on trays for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Pro tip

Swap your trays halfway through cooking to ensure an even bake.

Step 6

Add your icing sugar to a bowl with a few drops of black food colouring and add water at ½ tsp intervals and mix until you get the right consistency. Then, spoon the mixture into a piping bag.

Pro tip

If the icing is too runny, just add more icing sugar until you get the consistency you want.

Step 7

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and carefully stir until melted.

Step 8

Simply flip your gingerbread man upside down so the legs point upwards. Spread the melted chocolate over the head and arms to form the reindeer’s face, then press on one chocolate M&M for the nose and add the eyes. Next, pipe antlers onto the legs of the gingerbread man using the icing you prepared earlier, and finish with a scattering of sprinkles. And just like that, your gingerbread man has transformed into a festive reindeer!

Your gingerbread reindeer questions, answered!

What’s the difference between a gingerbread man and reindeer gingerbread?

They both start with the same classic gingerbread dough. The fun comes afterwards, when you decide how to decorate them. A gingerbread man can stay just that, or you can get creative and turn it into a festive reindeer with a few finishing touches. It’s a simple way to get more variety from one batch of biscuits.

Can I use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to make reindeer gingerbread?

Yes, you can. A standard gingerbread man cutter works perfectly for both. All you need to do is flip the shape upside down and decorate it differently. It saves you buying extra cutters, and means the whole family can join in with decorating in their own style.

How do you decorate a gingerbread man as a reindeer?

There are plenty of ways to do it. Some people like to keep it simple with chocolate for the face and a sweet for the nose, while others go all out with colourful icing and sprinkles. The idea is to have fun and make them look festive, not perfect.

Can you freeze gingerbread?

Yes, and it’s a brilliant time-saver. Once you’ve made your dough, wrap it in cling film and you can keep it in the freezer for up to three months. All you need to do is defrost the dough, then you can prepare them as normal.