Sparkly Gingerbread Food

GINGERBREAD BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, gingerbread spice, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is thoroughly combined with the dry ingredients and the mixture looks sandy. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Whisk together the molasses, vanilla, eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; stir into the flour mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Press together and knead into a moist, uniform dough.
• Divide the dough in half and place on the prepared baking sheet. Shape the dough into two 10-by-2-inch logs, keeping 3 inches between the logs. If the dough is sticky, splash a couple drops of water on your hands and continue shaping. Bake until the outside is set but the inside is still slightly soft, about 30 minutes.
• Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice 1/2 inch thick on the bias with a serrated knife. Return the slices to the baking sheet, slat-side down, and bake, flipping the slices halfway through, until crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool.
• Once the biscotti are cool, combine the white chocolate and oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Dip half of each biscotti at an angle in the white chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Return to the wire rack, then refrigerate until just set, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the remaining white chocolate mixture into a small piping bag or resealable bag, then snip the tip or corner with kitchen shears to create a small hole. Drizzle the white chocolate at an angle across the dipped end of each biscotti, drizzling in the opposite direction to create a crisscross pattern. Return to the wire rack, then sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate until all the chocolate is completely set, about 10 minutes. The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

SPARKLY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand-held electric beaters, beat brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses and fresh ginger, and mix until well combined.
• Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
• Divide dough in half and scrape onto two pieces of plastic wrap, wrapping each piece separately into a flat disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Use parchment paper or nonstick liners to line 3 baking sheets, or lightly grease them with nonstick cooking spray. (You may need to bake the cookies in batches.)
• On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll one disk of dough 1/8-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out all the dough. With a small metal spatula, place the gingerbread cut-outs onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Repeat with remaining dough. You can reroll the scraps once. Collect them from both pieces of dough, smush them together into a disk and chill before rerolling again.
• Bake small cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, and larger ones for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are firm to the touch and their edges are slightly darker in color. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through for even baking.
• Let cookies cool on baking sheets until firm enough to lift, about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
• To decorate, thin the royal icing with water until it's as thick as heavy cream (thinner than you'd use for piping). Divide it into small bowls (or a muffin tin), and use food coloring to tint it different colors. Use a brush to paint the cookies with icing, and, if you like, use toothpicks to apply more icing to make patterns. Sprinkle with colored sugar or other decorations, if you like, while the icing is still wet. Put the decorated cookies on baking sheets to set, then move them to tins or other airtight containers with parchment between the layers.

GINGERBREAD SYRUP

Steps:

• Put the golden caster sugar, 200ml water and ground ginger into a saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for 5 mins until the sugar has dissolved, then stir in a little edible gold glitter, if you like. Pour into a 500ml sterilised bottle (see tip below).
• To decorate, tie a cinnamon stick around the neck with a pretty ribbon, if you like. Will keep for up to 1 year.