Gingerbread shadow box
large quantity of gingerbread dough, enough to build this gingerbread shadow box or a gingerbread house. the dough is egg-less. so i enjoy eating the cookie dough raw too. the raw cookie dough can me used to make cookie dough candies dipped in chocolate.
Equipment
- template
- knife
- baking paper
- 4 large flat baking trays
- battery powered fairy lights (optional)
Ingredients
- 150 grams unsalted butter softened
- 90 grams caster sugar
- 90 grams soft light brown sugar
- 100 ml golden syrup i use lyles
- 100 ml black treacle i use lyles
- 600 grams plain flour
- 1 and a half tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp milk
Decoration
- a couple hard candy sweets in yellow or orange
- icing sugar
- gold lustre dust optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl using an electric whisk cream the softened butter with the sugars until pale and fluffy.
- Add the golden syrup and treacle and whisk together until combined
- mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt together then add to the wet ingredients
- Add milk a table spoon at a time until you have a soft dough
- Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours
- Cut out the template ready to start making the gingerbread (see downloads)
- take two large sheets of baking paper to roll the dough out on and get four large flat baking trays
- Flour one of the sheets of baking paper then take some of the dough and roll it out so its large enough for the template. Place the paper with the rolled dough on to a baking tray before you cut it out if its easier, or cut on a board and gently lift the paper across to the tray afterwards. then check its straight.
- Using a sharp knife cut around the template. Make sure the edges are straight and place tray in the fridge to chill while you make the next one
- Keep rolling the dough and cutting around the templates until you have all four. after you have cut it and its on the tray, place the template back over it to check the lines are straight.
- Preheat oven to 180c
- After the dough has chilled while the oven is preheating using clay tool or knife create texture on the trees creating lines to look like branches.
- Bake the top three layers for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden, The antlers can burn so keep and eye on them you can cover them with a tin foil after 4 minutes if you like.For the last layer that goes on the bottom, bake for 10 minutes, then add the crushed sweets in the star and moon holes and bake for a further 3 minutes. To make the stars i used a clay tool that was shaped like a star but you could use a straw and make circles and then use a knife to cut lines. The tool i used was like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outus-Plastic-Ceramic-Sculpting-Assorted/dp/B01J9S3Z0A (the light blue one in the middle)(after 5 minutes i opened the oven and used a knife to poke the star holes open a bit more so they didn't close over when the dough baked.)
- Once all four layers are baked let them cool
- Using the left over dough, draw around one of the templates to get the size and cut a frame to go on the top, Then if you like make the deer cookies or any other shaped cookies you like
- Rub some icing sugar on the trees so it creates a snow pattern, then make some icing glue
- I mix a really thick icing using powdered sugar and water it should be so thick that it can't be poured and more like a paste
- Take the bottom layer with the stars and add some of the paste in small blobs around the edge. then place the next layer on top and gently press them together. continue this with the next layers.
- Once it is built, leave it laying flat to dry.
- To display place some lights behind it. i used battery powdered ones. you could even use the left over dough to build a compartment to place them in.