Try this festive gingerbread cookie recipe

For the gingerbread cookies

• 450g plain flour


• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon


• 1 tbsp ground ginger


• ½ tsp ground allspice


• ½ tsp ground cloves


• 125g butter


• Softened 125g Light Golden Brown Sugar


• 200g treacle


• 1 large egg


• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 80g butter


• Softened 100g cream cheese


• Softened 220g Icing Sugar


• 1 tbsp ground ginger


• 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp milk

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves in a medium bowl. Set aside.


2. Cream the butter and brown sugar in an electric mixer until it becomes pale and creamy. This may take a few minutes longer than you think so the trick is to be patient.


3. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until combined. Add in the dry ingredients that you set aside earlier and mix on low speed until it comes together as a slightly crumbly dough.


4. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of cling film and press to form a flattened disc. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.


5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Meanwhile, leave the dough out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to soften before rolling. This will prevent the edges from cracking.


6. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to about ⅛ inches thick. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut cookie shapes and transfer them to a baking tray, leaving about a half inch between each cookie. Re-roll the scraps and repeat until you can't get any more cookies out of the dough.


7. Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes until golden. Let them cool on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully.


8. To make the ginger cream, mix the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, ground ginger and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.


9. Transfer the ginger cream to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice.


10. Match up two similarly sized and shaped cookies and pipe the filling onto one cookie. Gently sandwich the other cookie on top. Dust the tops with icing sugar before serving.