Ahh gingerbread.

Your dough has cradled my hips at Christmas time for a strong 24 years.

But, it is a seasonal body transformation that I couldn’t bare to go without.

It seems to have the answer to all Christmas problems…

Cat vandalised the Christmas tree?
Gingerbread.
Don’t know what the F to get your Aunt Petunia?
Gingerbread
Man doing you wrong?
Gingerbread.
Still not come to terms with the ending of Jack Frost?
Gingerbread.

Lost in a shopping mall? Lost your mind? Lost your child?

………..

Gingerbread.

Now, just because I’m vegan, doesn’t mean I’m not all for a good old rise in my cholesterol levels. I mean, it’s tradition.

And as it is the season of forced kindness, it only feels right to share a ginger bread recipe to help you get through breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So here it is…

For all of you out there who have no idea what to get your family, yet have a list of ideas for your dog.

– The mighty gingerbread recipe –

Let’s begin…

Magic dust and stuff:
350g plain flour – 2 1/2 cups
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarb soda
100g dairy free butter – 7 tablespoons
175g soft light brown sugar – just below 1 cup
4 tbsp golden syrup
1/4 cup of apple sauce

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Da baking:
Pre-heat the oven 180C
Mix the flour, ginger and soda in a bowl
Rub in the butter.
Add the sugar and stir in the syrup and apple sauce to make a firm dough.
Roll out to about 5mm thick and cut out your ginger bread shapes
(If you don’t have any shape cutters – try using the lid off a jar to make circles and then decorate later with icing).
Place the ginger bread onto a grease proof mat on a tray – making sure to space them out evenly.
* Here if you like you can put the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes before transferring to the oven. This will just help the gingerbread to keep its shape whilst cooking.
Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool slightly before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
If they are soft when you get them out of the oven don’t worry – they will become firmer as they cool.

You can test out the baking time with one piece of gingerbread first before cooking the whole batch. Just as some ovens may differ in baking time.

When your gingerbread has cooled down – decorate with all the icing a candy that your Christmas heart desires.

If you want to give the gingerbread as a gift you could:

* Stack the gingerbread up and use some thread to make a bow and tie them together

* Make the gingerbread dough, roll into a ball and place in a jar – then write a note with cooking instructions (This is a great idea for kids so they get to roll the dough, make their own shapes and decorate them however they like).

♥ ♥ ♥

* Or, you could get a jar and layer all the dry recipe ingredients – then attach a biscuit shape cutter to the jar with some ribbon and write a note with a recipe card attached. So the person you are giving it to just needs to add the wet ingredients and can save for whenever they fancy a baking day.

Gingerbread (and baking in general) is an easy way to make a thoughtful gift without breaking the bank. It also means there is less need for extra single use plastic around the Christmas period.

Be present
Give love
Share time

Pause, unwind and cherish the magic moments that come along with your seasonal gingerbread dough hips.

Merry Christmas

Fred