Our favourite Gingerbread recipe – with a twist

Who doesn’t love yummy little Gingerbread men at Christmas time? This is our Head Chef’s favourite Gingerbread recipe that Apollo Care residents and visitors will be enjoying in each of our communities this festive season.

For something different, we love pairing these Gingerbreads with a French-inspired syrup. It’s delicious drizzled over the biscuits and definitely adds a fancy touch to this Christmas classic.

Here’s the recipe so you can try at home:

Gingerbread (makes 24)

Ingredients

580g plain flour

3 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

175g softened butter

175g caster sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp orange juice

1/2 cup molasses

Sugar to dust

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Add eggs, orange juice and molasses to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

4. Slowly add the dry mixture and stir until it comes together as a dough.

5. Roll the mixture on a floured bench with a rolling pin to a consistent thickness of approx. 0.5cm.

6. Use a cookie cutter to make gingerbread-shaped biscuits and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then dust with sugar.

7. Bake at 175 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

8. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with piped icing

Pain D’Epice Syrup

Ingredients

125g Sugar

500ml water

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 star anise

1 cardamom pod

Small pinch ground cloves

Small pinch ground nutmeg

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

2. Keep simmering until syrup has reduced to desired consistency, then remove star anise and cardamon pod from the mixture.

3. Allow to cool and then serve syrup as a drizzle or dipping sauce with the Gingerbreads.

The CWA’s famous Scone Recipe

At Vincent Court, we think there’s nothing better than a freshly baked, fluffy scone enjoyed still warm from the oven with strawberry jam and whipped cream. This treat makes a regular appearance at morning tea time here and it’s easy to see why.

Our wonderful Chef, Jackie, has perfected her scone-making skills using the Country Women’s Association’s famous Scone Recipe. It’s so good, we’re sharing so that you can try it at home! The big question is do you put the jam or cream on first?

A few tips:

  • Follow the recipe precisely
  • Always sift the flour
  • Be gentle with the dough
  • Don’t be tempted to make scones too large

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Self Raising Flour   
  • 300ml of cream
  • 300 ml milk                              
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees
  2. Sift the flour and add other dry ingredients
  3. Add cream and milk to the dry ingredients and mix to make a soft dough using a knife not a spoon.
  4. Place dough on a lightly floured board and gently pat out to a thickness of about 2.5cm.
  5. Cut with a floured scone cutter. Do not twist the cutter when removing, straight up and down is the go!
  6. Gather the leftover dough together, lightly knead and repeat the cutting process until all dough is used.
  7. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for about 12-15 minutes until they are golden on the bottom and top.
  8. Serve with your favourite jam and whipped cream