The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Saturday 21 December 2013

Gingerbread.

Every year I make gingerbread. This recipe is beautiful as it uses honey. So far everybody loves this. I used to make it for school lunch boxes too. I would cut it into gingerbread men shapes and the girls would turn them into gingerbread girls by decorating them with dresses and making smartie bikini tops! While we were at it, they would make some for friends to take to school as well. This was usually the day before school went back from the holidays. We would have a day of baking cup cakes, biscuits and savoury lunch box things. It was a great fun day!

This year I have made some little packets to give away and used left over sewing trims (to use them up) to tie up my parcels.



Like all my recipes it started out years ago with a recipe that I tried which I found way too dry and fixed it. Once moist enough it was a great recipe. And with all recipes they tend to start out complicated. I don't understand it. Like the fruit cake recipe... it's so easy and good but when I first read it there were over 20 ingredients on the list. Enough to daunt anyone! It kind of went 200 grams sultanas, 200 grams cherries ... I added it all up and put 1 kilo of fruit you like! Isn't that simpler! 

Anyway the same applied here! 

So here is the recipe....

250 grams butter melted. This is about  2 sticks of butter US or just over 1 cup. 
1 cup runny honey. If not runny microwave it until it is.
I cup, packed. dark brown sugar, 
2 eggs.
1 cup SR flour,
4 cups of plain flour,
1 teaspoon ground ginger,
Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg. 
(if you dont have either spice you could use mixed spice, it will do)
A little extra flour on hand for rolling or if the dough is too sticky.

In a big bowl mix the lot together. It will start out crumbly and then squeeze it together and knead it in a few batches until you have a dough. Roll your dough nice and smooth, the more you work it the smoother it will be. Use flour if its sticky and roll it out in batches and cut into the shapes you want. Cook on baking paper on trays. Go for a medium oven and if you like soft chewy biscuits it will be around 10 mins, and crunchy biscuits a few minutes longer. I like crunchy! Just keep an eye on your first batch to get your timing right... you want golden colour then they are done! Cool and package or decorate. 

Letting the kids decorate them is a great activity and you can get gorgeous colours and things to use for hair, jewellery (our gingerbread girls had diamond rings and necklaces of course!) and the stuff you can get now is even better. You can buy edible gold, glitter in all colours... and you can use icing plus sprinkles, lollies etc. We sometimes made them to look like certain people which was hilarious.


I had one for breakfast this morning so I had better give them all away today (after putting one in Andys lunch box for tomorrow) ! 

7 comments:

  1. Oh yum! What a cute gift! I always shy away from recipies with too many ingreadients and unlike you...I have no cooking ability to edit...Thank you for doing it! Yes, I am going to wait a few weeks before I start blogging about the pillow case project. I think it is a great project and should be a huge hit!! Welcome to blog land, I am your newest follower

    Carol

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  2. Yum Annabel! My daughters want to make gingerbread men while they are on school holidays so i was excited to see your recipe. I think I have all the ingredients too which is a bonus so tomorrow will be filled with lots of cooking! Thank you for your beautiful blog, jasmine

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    1. Dear Jasmine,
      When my girls were little we made Gingerbread girls every school holidays to take back to school in the new term. They used icing and lollies to make dresses and even bikinis for them. They had the best fun. They also made them to look like various friends with the right colored hair etc and would take them for friends. It was hours of good fun! I hope you will find the same! With love Annabelxxx

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  3. Annabel, Thank you for sharing! I love you recipes. :)

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  4. Hi Annabel

    Yum! Just before going in search of a gingerbread recipe I decided to read your blog. What a wonderful surprise to find a recipe already for me, not to mention the shortbread also.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. They look so delicious all done up and ready to go.

    Your new farm house sounds so like such a wonderful way of life, yes at times so busy but to sit outside at the end of a long hard day and just take in the breathtaking views would make it all worth while.

    Hope you are well. I also agree that December is taking off so fast and am finding it hard to catch up.

    Take Care
    Aly xxx

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

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