Rustle up a little festive cheer with these delectable and delicately spiced biscuits, ideal for hanging on your tree or just for brightening up your tea break.

Ingredients

• For the biscuits
  • 350g plain flour – plus extra for rolling
  • 200g butter
  • 175g dark brown sugar
  • 1tbsp golden syrup
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 large egg
  • ½tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½tsp ground ginger
• For the decoration
  • 100g white chocolate (melted) OR 100g icing sugar
  • Sprinkles or silver baubles

Top Tips:

• Turn your biscuits into tree decorations by making a hole into each one before baking, using a skewer then thread through ribbon once cooled.
• This dough can be made ahead by placing in the freezer after having been wrapped in cling film to chill. Simply defrost and roll out to bake.
• Decorated biscuits will last several days on a tree or up to a week in an airtight container.
• Pre-made icing or chocolate that is ready-to-melt in a tube is a great option for those who feel less confident using a piping bag.

Method:

Step One

Gently warm the butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low heat until it has melted. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl making a well in the centre to pour the wet ingredients into. Mix until a workable dough forms. Once cooled, wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for at least one hour to chill.

Step Two

Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5 and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Meanwhile, roll out the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface to around ½cm thick and cut out your biscuits using festive shapes of choice. Reroll leftover dough and cut until you have none left. Bake for 10-12 minutes until a golden brown.

Step Three

Once cooled, preferably on wire racks, place either melted chocolate or icing sugar –

that has been mixed with water to form a thick paste – into a piping bag and use to decorate the biscuits, adding baubles and other decorations while the icing is still wet. Let dry completely before hanging.