Gingerbread man

• unsalted butter↗140g g
• dark muscovado sugar↗100g g
• golden syrup↗3 tbsp tbsp
• plain flour↗350g g
• bicarbonate of soda↗1 tsp tsp
• ground ginger↗2 tsp tsp
• ground cinnamon↗1 tsp tsp
• pinch of cayenne pepper

  (optional)

• stem ginger balls2

  from a jar, chopped

• icing sugar↗50g g
• a few glacé cherries

  (we used undyed)

• stem ginger balls2

  from a jar, chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Mix flour, soda, spices and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir in the butter mix and chopped ginger to make a stiff-ish dough.

2. 2

   Wait until cool enough to handle, then roll out dough to about 5mm thick. Stamp out gingerbread men, re-rolling and pressing the trimmings back together and rolling again. Lift onto baking sheets. Bake for 12 mins until golden. Cool 10 mins on the sheets, then lift onto cooling racks.

3. 3

   To decorate, mix icing sugar with a few drops of water until thick and smooth. Halve then slice cherries thinly to make smiles, and cut ginger into small squares. Spoon icing into a food bag, snip off the tiniest bit from one corner, then squeeze eyes and buttons, and a tiny smile onto 1 man at a time. Stick on a cherry smile and ginger buttons. Repeat; leave to set. Will keep up to 1 week in an airtight tin.