Gingerbread wreath

Method

• step 1

  Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then bubble for 1-2 mins, stirring until well combined. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.

• step 2

  Tip the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. Add the warm syrup mixture and the egg, stir to bring everything together, then gently knead in the bowl until smooth and streak-free. The dough will feel a little soft now, but will firm up once cooled. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.

• step 3

  Remove the dough from the fridge and and leave at room temperature until softened. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment.

• step 4

  Cut off half the dough and keep the rest wrapped in cling film. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use a plate or the base of a cake tin as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. Transfer to one of the baking trays, then use a 7cm cutter to stamp out and remove a circle in the middle. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out a variety of other shapes to decorate the wreath (you’ll need about 20-25 pieces – we used stars and angels) and arrange these over the trays too.

• step 5

  Bake the biscuits for 10-12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking. Stamp a hole in the top of the ring using a small cutter, or the end of a piping nozzle, as soon as it comes out the oven – you can tie a pretty ribbon through this later. Leave to cool on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

• step 6

  Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle, then decorate the biscuits as you wish, using a little edible glitter, if you like. We flooded some of the biscuits with pale blue icing (see tip) and piped white details on the others. Leave the icing to dry for 1-2 hrs, then use a little more icing to stick the biscuits to the wreath. Thread a ribbon through the hole and wrap up in cellophane, if giving as a gift (the ribbon is just for show and may not support a hung wreath). Will keep for 2 weeks.