Gingerbread Snowflakes and Orangebread Baubles

Soooo, I'm a bit behind on some updates.  It's been a hectic couple of weeks in the lead up to Christmas, working in a shop and all (though only until the end of the week).  So whilst I have managed to fit baking in to my busy schedule, I haven't had time to do the write-up.  Now I have my first proper day off in ages, I can do just that.  So here is the first.

This is my first Christmas in my flat and the first time I get to have my very own Christmas tree that is just mine that I can decorate with decorations I chose, something I have been looking forward to for a long time.  And I decided I wanted to make gingerbread decorations for my tree, especially since the fiancé likes gingerbread.  I don't like it though, but also wanted something to eat on the tree.  Hence the 'orangebread', which substitutes the spices for orange extract instead.  I also used golden syrup alongside the treacle, so make them slightly lighter, though this was more because I ran out of treacle than anything else.

As for decoration, I did a simple lemon icing for the gingerbread and piped pretty patterns.  Then for the orangebread I cut out fondant and decorated it.

What can I say, they are super yummy.  I only wish they had stayed on the tree.  Unfortunately, I hadn't made the holes for the string big enough, so they closed up when they were cooking.  Hence, I was using very thin thread and a needle to make the hooks.  That didn't end up working so well, which was a shame.  So they ended up back in the biscuit tin, and are pretty much all gone now. Yum yum yum.

Recipe - adapted from A Zombie Ate My Cupcake (altered to make orangebread)

For gingerbread:

• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 60g/2oz unsalted butter
• 50g/1.75oz granulated sugar
• 1 small egg
• 80ml/2.8fl.oz black treacle
• 3/4 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 100g/3.5oz icing sugar
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• Lemon juice
• Water

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and the treacle and mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the lemon extract and mix in. 
5. Gradually add the flour a bit at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding more.  You may need to use your hands for the last of it as you end up with quite a thick dough.
6. Shape into a ball and wrap in clingfilm.  Put in the fridge to rest for about 3 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line 2-3 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.
9. Roll the dough out to be about 5mm/0.25inches thick and then cut out your decoration shapes.  
10. Lay on a tray and then use a skewer to make a hole for the ribbon/string in the top of each.
11. Bake for about 10-20 minutes before removing from the oven and leaving to cool on a wire rack. 
12. Put the icing sugar in a bowl and add the lemon extract.
13. Add alternating spoonfuls of lemon juice and water to the icing sugar, mixing after each addition, until you get a fairly firm mixture that is of pipe-able consistency.  If you add too much liquid, just add a bit more icing sugar to firm it up. 
14. Put icing into a piping bag fitted with a small, round tipped nozzle and pipe patterns onto the cooled biscuits. 
15. When icing has set, thread string through the hole and knot together. 

 For orangebread: 

• 225g/8oz plain flour 
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 60g/2oz unsalted butter
• 50g/1.75oz granulated sugar
• 1 small egg
• 2 tsp orange extract
• 20ml/0.7fl.oz black treacle
• 60ml/2fl.oz golden syrup 
• 1 x 450g pack of pre-rolled fondant icing
• 30g/1oz icing sugar
• Water 
• Red and Green writing icing

1. Sift together the flour and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, the treacle and the golden syrup and mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the orange extract and mix in. 
5. Gradually add the flour a bit at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding more.  You may need to use your hands for the last of it as you end up with quite a thick dough.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap the ball in clingfilm.  Put in the fridge to rest for about 3 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line 2-3 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.
9. Roll the dough out to be about 5mm/0.25inches thick and then cut out your decoration shapes with a cutter.  
10. Lay on a tray and then use a skewer to make a hole for the ribbon/string in the top of each.
11. Bake for about 10-20 minutes before removing from the oven and leaving to cool on a wire rack. 
12. In a small bowl, add a tsp of water to the icing sugar at a time, until you get a slightly runny paste.
13. Open out the pre-rolled icing and use the same cookie cutter as you did for the biscuits to cut out shapes.
14. Put some of the runny icing on the back of the cut out shapes to act as a glue to affix it to the biscuits.
15. Use the writing icing to draw patterns on top of the cut out icing.
16. Thread a string through the holes and knot.