Gingerbread Gals - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

Here's a good activity for the school holidays. Kids love to help with all the steps in the process and the mixture makes 40, so you fill the weeks baking tin!

First, prepare your cookie mix so it can relax in the fridge for half an hour before you start rolling.

Gingerbread Gal Mixture

Cream together:

125g softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix in:

1/2 cup treacle/molasses/golden syrup

1 egg yolk

Add the following to make a firm dough:

2&1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
2 Tablespoons ground ginger
1 Tablespoons mixed spice

Wrap dough in gladwrap, rest in the fridge and then you're ready to roll. Knead mixture for a minute until it's completely combined and glossy.

Roll out with your heaviest cake decorating rolling pin until mixture is 3-4mm thick. Use a gingerbread cutter (set) to press out shapes. These 4 cutters have options of man, lady, boy and girl. I find an angled spatula is perfect to slip under the shapes and transfer them to your baking sheet without distortion.

Bake at 175' for 6 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cooking smells will make your mouth water.

Meanwhile, prepare your royal icing for decoration. Always keep the top surface covered with gladwrap until ready to use. Fill your reusable piping bag with coupler fitted so you can readily change the piping tip width for finer facial type detail.

I opted to use a royal icing mix that I just had to whip up with water. A great item to have on standby in the cupboard and leftover royal icing keeps fine in the fridge for a month.

Then let your creativity take over and create features for these gingerbread gals with the royal icing. While it's still wet you can add sugar pearls and sprinkles or cupcake candy bling for individuality.