Easy gluten-free gingerbread cookies

My children adore making these gingerbread cookies and, since most of these ingredients live in my pantry cupboard year round, they are cheap and easy to make.

Ingredients

350g gluten-free self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

125g butter

175g light brown sugar

1 egg

4 tbsp golden syrup

¼ tsp xanthan gum

Method

Sift the flour and mix with the bicarbonate of soda, ginger, xanthan gum and cinnamon.  Next, add the butter and blend until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (my kids adore doing this bit with their hands!).

Then, stir in the sugar, lightly beat in the egg and mix in the golden syrup.  Mix until you get a dough, knead briefly and place in clingfilm in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.  Whilst the dough is cooling, pop the oven on at 200°C / Fan 180°C / Gas 6 and line some baking trays with baking paper.

Once cooled, either roll into balls and pop onto the trays or roll out to about 0.5cm thickness and use cutters to make the shapes you fancy.  Full disclosure; the gluten free flour can make the shaping more difficult (it seems to be hit and miss!) so we often just go with the balls on the tray for ease.

Just make sure you leave ample space around each ball as they will spread and become cookie shaped as they bake.  12-15 minutes is all they need and these tasty treats will be done!  After baking, cool on the tray for a good 15 minutes before you transfer them onto a cooling rack.  Then, once completely cooled, let the kids loose with icing and sweets for an afternoon of fun.