Gluten-free gingerbread

Method

• step 1

  Put the golden syrup, orange zest, sugar, butter, ginger and cinnamon into a large pan over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, taking care not to bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then mix in the egg before sifting over the flour and xanthan gum. Beat with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, glossy dough. It will be quite soft at this point, so leave to firm up in the pan for 10 mins, before shaping into a disc, wrapping in baking paper and chilling in the fridge for 1 hr or until firm enough to roll.

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.

• step 3

  Lightly dust a clean worksurface with flour and roll out the dough to 5mm thick. Cut the dough into festive shapes using a cutter of your choice, then arrange on the lined baking trays, evenly spaced apart. Re-roll until the dough is used up. Bake for 10-12 mins or until evenly golden. Cool fully on the baking tray. To make the icing, mix 100g of icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp of water until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled biscuits or dust with icing sugar, if you like.