A new take on an old favourite. Traditional ginger biscuits with tempting fruit and Royal icing.

  • Serves: 16 people
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cooking time: 50 minutes
    • Irish
    • Vegetarian

    Ginger Biscuits with Royal Icing

    Recipe Information

    Ingredients
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    For the ginger biscuits

    100g Demerara Sugar

    100g Golden Syrup

    70g Unsalted Butter

    250g Plain Flour

    2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

    1 tbsp Freshly Grated Ginger

    1 tsp Ground Ginger

     

    For the Royal icing

    2 Large Egg Whites

    500g Icing Sugar

    1 tbsp Lemon Juice

     

    For the candied fruit

    250g Caster Sugar

    250ml Water

    1 Orange, thinly sliced

    1 Lemon, thinly sliced

    2 Limes, thinly sliced

    Method

    Pre-heat the oven to 170oC Fan/Gas Mark 5.

    In a small pan, melt the butter, demerara sugar and syrup until smooth then add the freshly grated ginger.

    Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a bowl. Then, combine with the melted ingredients to form a stiff dough.

    Leave the dough to cool, then knead for a couple of minutes until smooth.

    Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    Then, roll out on a floured surface until 0.5cm thick.

    Cut out the biscuit shapes with 8cm shaped biscuit cutters and place on lined baking trays.

    Bake for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown, then leave to cool.

    While the biscuits are cooling, thinly slice the fruit and add into a pan with the sugar and water.

    Now leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes until the fruit has candied in the syrup.

    Then, remove and leave to dry on a cooling rack.

    Using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, one spoonful at a time, until fully mixed.

    Add the lemon juice and whisk for a couple more minutes until the icing is glossy and firm.

    If you’re colouring the icing, divide between small bowls and add the colour one drop at a time.

    If the icing is too firm to pipe, just add a drop of water until you achieve the right consistency, then place into piping bags fitted with piping nozzles.

    Once the biscuits have cooled, decorate with the icing and candied fruit.