Traditional Swedish Christmas Gingerbread Biscuits
Contributed by
Sophie Ward
Serves
Approx. 25 pieces
Time
Prep Time:12 hours Cooling Time: 1-2 hours
Method
- Mix butter, sugar and maple syrup until creamy and fluffy, with an electric beater. Add 200ml water, spices and bi-carb soda, mix well. Add flour, mix well.
- Let the dough rest in a cool dark place (fridge) at least 12 hours or up to 2 days under tightly covered in cling wrap. The dough will keep for a week or two in the fridge if properly covered in cling wrap and kept in container. This way you can use small amounts and bake when it suits you.
- Take the dough out of the fridge 30 mins prior to rolling out.
- Sprinkle generous amounts of flour onto a hard work surface. Scoop out manageable amounts of dough, knead for a minute.
- Again sprinkle generous amounts of flour onto the work surface, before rolling out to an approx 3mm thin layer of dough.
- The dough sticks to the bench really easily, so make sure you keep up the flour.
- Cut out your favourite Christmas shapes, using cookie cutters. Gently place biscuits on baking trays covered with baking paper.
- Bake in the middle in a 200 degrees celsius oven, approx 5 minites. Keep an eye on them; they can change from ready to burnt in a few seconds!
- Cool on tray.
- Method for icing: Combine icing sugar and egg white, stirring until smooth. Pipe out the icing in decorative patterns on the biscuits,the icing won't take long to set.
- Keep your biscuits in an airtight container (glass or tin only, plastic is not as good as it makes the biscuits go soggy).Enjoy!
