Delicious gingerbread men or gingerbread house

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Recipe's preparation

For the Cookies

* Add butter, sugar and golden syrup (or treacle) to bowl and cream - 30s/ #4 till light and fluffy, scrape, repeat.
* Add half the egg 20s #4, scrape
* add remaining egg 20s #4, scrape.
* add the dry ingredients and #4 until just combined (8 sec or so)
*knead dough function "Dough mode" 2mins
*Tip onto floured mat and roll between 2 sheets of baking paper (it will be slightly sticky) and refridgerate on the mat to firm for 15 mins
*Cut into shapes, press remaining dough and re-roll and cut till finished - dough is soft so work fast.
(for gingerbread men, add currants for eyes and buttons)
*place on tray and allow a little space between for spreading, and bake 180 degrees/10mins until nice and brown
*allow to cool before icing.

Cookie icing

(* If you don't have icing sugar: make it - add regluar white sugar to bowl and blitz 20s/ #10)
* in a clean dry bowl: insert butterfly whisk and add egg white
* MC off, keep an eye and whisk till foamy #4
* Gradually add lemin juice and icing sugar through hole and continue till thick and creamy.
* divide icing amoungst several bowls depending on how many colours you want
* pipe onto cooled biscuits.

Gingerbread house

I use the same recipe for a gingerbread house. I double the recipe, and maybe mix for a few seconds more.
* Have a house stencil cut fron baking paper ready - (see hints)
* Roll cookie dought out as above, refrigerate and then using stencil, cut out the house walls and roof.
*Put on tray and bake as above, check cooking time as it may need slightly more.
* When out of the oven, while warm place stencil back on top of the cooked cookies - they will be slightly distorted from baking so taking a knife, straighten your cookie edges by cutting off the access over the stencil - this must be done while cookies are warm or else the cookies may crack.
ASSEMBLY:
When house is cooled, it's time to pipe the icing and stick the house together.
* hint: stick the walls to your plate first, and ice the walls together. Let it set using something like tin cans to support, then stick the roof on.
*Get creative with the kids and have fun!
* I use: freckles on the rook, all sorts for the windows.

House icing

* make icing sugar: only 200 grams at a time, 30s/ #10
* Add HALF sugar to bowl, with butterfly whisk in add 2 of the egg whites and on #4 till it blends freely as it will stick at first. Once it is blending freely, stop and add the remainder sugar and egg whites. 5m/ #4 or until very light and smooth.
* If you want it coloured, add a drop of colour to bowl and combine. Put in piping bag.