Only two days to go!

Two days to go!  This post is from a happy (beacause I've finished work) but slightly stressed (because work is a FULL time thing with no breaks to do anything else) headless chicken who made a decision many weeks, if not months ago, to do a non-commercial Christmas!  Bravo, I hear you cry!  Hhhhmmm!  Not so sure now!

I got some great traybake cases and cellophane bags from lakeland and lovely cellophane wrap and raffia ribbon from phoenix-trading, with the plan of 22 December becoming my Baking Day!

Ho-hum...OK...go for it!  Gingerbreads first...keep it simple...star shapes with holes in for ribbon (just in case people don't like the taste they could hang them on the tree to enjoy!)

My recipe.....well here it is if you'd like to give it a try....

350g of plain flour
2 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
100g of butter or margarine
100g of dark brown sugar
75g of caster sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp of honey (or anything runny really like golden or maple syrup)

Pre-heat oven to 190, 375 or Gas 5 and lightly grease your baking trays or line with baking parchment.

Sift the flour into a bowl with the ginger and soda, rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Add the sugars, egg and honey and mix together with a fork.  Once it starts to combine, get your hand in there a bring it together until it forms a ball of dough.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and well combined.

Roll to a thickness of 5mm and using cutters, cut your shapes.  Place on your sheets and bake in the oven for 12mins.

Remove (and if desired make a whole for hanging with the end of a drinking straw), place on racks and allow to cool.

I packaged mine up and they looked like this....

I'm quietly please ...BUT...traybakes will have to wait until tomorrow! EEEkkk!