gingerbread christmas stars
PREPARATION TIME: 40 MINUTES (Plus 30 minutes chilling time)
COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES
MAKES: 48
COOKIE DOUGH
5 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
ICING GLAZE
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon butter, softened
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons boiling water
DECORATION - Royal Icing
1 egg white
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon juice
silver cachous
To Make The Cookies:
Cream the butter, sugar and honey together until light and fluffy. Electric beaters make short work of this.
Add the egg and beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Use a large whisk to gentle stir the mix to make sure it is well combined.
Sift the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir well.
It should come together into a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead gently until it feels smooth.
Wrap in plastic film and pop it into the fridge for half an hour or so.
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Line two cookie sheets with baking paper.
Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until it's about 1/16 inch thick.
Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut out your cookies and put them on to your baking sheets.
Bake for about 6 minutes. They should be a little golden around the edges.
Cool the cookies on the trays until they are firm enough to be slipped onto racks.
Once the cookies are completely cold you can decorate them as per the instructions below.
The Icing Glaze:
Mix all the ingredients together in a heat proof bowl until smooth.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until warmed through.
It should become a little thinner and runnier. Be careful it doesn't become too warm.
Using a pair of kitchen tongs, very carefully and gently dip the top of each cookie in the glaze.
Allow any excess to drip off then sit the cookie back on the rack for the glaze to set.
Decorate With Royal Icing:
Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until it is foamy.
Sift in some of your confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice and whisk well.
You're after a smooth icing that will hold it's shape. You may need to add the rest of your confectioners' sugar.
Spoon the mix into an icing bag with a very small nozzle and pipe decorative shapes onto your cookies.
Outlines and star bursts look good. Dot all over with cachous.
Leave to set (well away from little fingers!).
TIP:
I can't be bothered with icing bags. I usually a zip-lock plastic bag with one corner snipped off.
