The perfect festive family activity to entertain the kids this Christmas and New Year …
Want to bake with your family without a mess? This recipe from Butlers Chocolate Café is so simple and hassle-free that even little ones can help without a big clean up afterwards, so you can put your feet up and enjoy!
Serves 16
Ingredients
• 325g plain flour plus a little extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 85g butter, room temperature
• 125g soft dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp treacle
To decorate:
• 200g Butlers Chocolate, melted
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp egg white
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and spices, then set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until just combined. Add in the egg, vanilla and treacle, then mix again until smooth.
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients until the dough comes together. It should be smooth and not too dry.
4. Using as little flour as possible on the work surface, roll the dough into 1/2 cm thickness. Cut out the shapes and place on lined baking sheets.
5. Bake for 8 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
6. Once cooled, dip the bottom half into melted chocolate and lay on a tray lined with parchment paper to set. We recommend 40% Milk Chocolate, 70% Dark Chocolate (or White Mixed Berry for white chocolate lovers) from Butlers’ new 90g Chocolate Bar range.
7. While setting, make the royal icing by whisking the icing sugar and egg white together until smooth. The mixture should be able to drizzle and then hold its shape. If it’s too runny, add more icing sugar until the right consistency is achieved.
8. When the chocolate is set, use a piping bag and small nozzle to decorate the gingerbread men in their finest attire.
Butlers top tip: for an even bigger chocolate flavour, replace 25g of the plain flour with cocoa powder! Then pair with a Gingerbread Latte in all Butlers Chocolates Cafés that includes ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg – all the seasonal comfort in one sip.
Find the perfect gifts at Butlers Chocolate Café and selected retailers nationwide. Visit www.butlerschocolates.com or @butlerschocolate for more information.
SEE MORE: Win A Magical Family Pass To Butlers Chocolate Factory