Air‑Fryer Gingerbread

• salted butter↗100g g
• dark muscovado sugar↗100g g
• golden syrup↗3 ст. л. tbsp
• plain flour↗225g g
• ground ginger↗2 ч. л. tsp
• ground cinnamon↗1 ч. л. tsp
• baking soda↗½ ч. л. tsp
• milk↗2 ст. л. tbsp
• icing↗

  for decoration (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Carefully melt the salted butter, dark muscovado sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Sift the plain flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and baking soda into a large bowl. Add the syrup mixture and milk, then gently knead until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C. Divide the dough into four portions, roll one between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 3‑4 mm, keep the rest in the refrigerator. Cut out 4‑6 gingerbread people, depending on the size of the cutters and your air fryer.

4. 4

   Place a square of parchment paper in the air‑fryer basket and arrange the gingerbread people, leaving a small space between them. Cook for 7‑8 minutes until they turn dark‑golden. Let them cool for 2‑3 minutes, then carefully transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Decorate the gingerbread people with icing if desired.