Ginger Creams

Makes 15–18 GINGER COOKIES

140g unsalted butter, softened

150g soft light brown sugar

70g golden syrup

1 egg

225g plain flour

11⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1⁄4 tsp ground cloves

150g demerara sugar

CREAM CHEESE ICING

70g unsalted butter, softened

a pinch of sea salt

115g cream cheese, at room temperature

395g icing sugar, sifted

FOR THE GINGER COOKIES

In a large bowl, bring together the butter,

light brown sugar and golden syrup with

a spatula or an electric hand mixer until

well combined. Add the egg and mix

through until smooth, then add all of the dry

ingredients, except for the demerara sugar,

and fold through until you have a soft, squishy

dough. Cover and place in the fridge for

around 1 hour to firm up.

Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and

line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Weigh out 20g nuggets of the dough and

roll between your hands to make neat balls.

Roll each one in the demerara sugar to

completely coat them. Pop them onto

the baking sheet 10cm/4in apart, to allow

for spreading.

Bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool

down completely.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE ICING

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment, or in a medium mixing bowl,

beat together the butter and salt until

pale and whippy. Add the cream cheese

and beat together on a high speed for

1–2 minutes. Add the icing sugar in two

stages, beating for a couple of minutes

after each addition until you have a light,

smooth, luxurious icing. Pop this into a

piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.

TO FINISH

Pair up the cookies and turn half of them

over, ready to fill.

Pipe 5–6 small blobs of icing (about the size

of a 50p piece) around the middle of the

cookies, 1cm/½in from the edge. Place the

other cookies on top and gently press down

to allow the icing blobs to spread a bit and

reach the edges of the sandwich. Place in

the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

TEAM TIP

Putting them in the fridge for a while will

help the icing firm up. Actually, we all prefer

them the day after they’ve been in the

fridge overnight!

This is an extract from Crumbs and Doilies by Jemma Wilson (Penguin Random House Australia, RRP $49.99)