Ingredients

350g/12 oz plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt (half)
100g (4 oz) butter
175g (6 oz) soft brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

different coloured fruit flavoured boiled sweets
narrow ribbon
 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.  Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Beat together the egg and golden syrup and mix into the flour mixture to make a smooth dough, kneading lightly with your hands.

Crush the sweets in their wrappers using a rolling pin. Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and roll out the dough until about 1/2cm (1/4in) thick, then cut into shapes using a selection of Christmas Cookie cutters. Transfer to lined baking sheets.

Cut out shapes in the centre of each biscuit, making sure you leave a good edge all around the biscuit.  Completely fill the hole in each biscuit with crushed boiled sweets.

Make a hole at the top of each biscuit using a drinking straw so that you will be able to thread a ribbon through it later. Bake for 11-12 minutes until golden.

While the biscuits are still warm, check the holes are still there, otherwise push a straw through again.  Do not remove the biscuits from the baking tray until they have cooled as the boiled sweets need to harden.  Once the sweets have hardened, gently lift the biscuits onto a wire rack with a palette knife to finish cooling.

You can decorate the biscuits with piped white icing.

Thread ribbons through the holes to make loops for hanging.

MAKES ABOUT 25 BISCUITS

Information

Suitable from 2 years
Preparation time 50 mins
Cooking time 12 mins
Not suitable for freezing