Perch these delightful little gingerbread houses on the edge of your mug for a festive treat. Try them with hot chocolate or mulled wine for adults

Serves 8
 Vegetarian 

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter
100g dark muscovado sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
250g royal icing sugar

Method

STEP 1
Melt the butter, muscovado sugar and golden syrup together in a pan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely.

STEP 2
Sift the flour, bicarb, ginger and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then mix using a wooden spoon until it forms a stiff dough. Leave the dough to cool slightly so it’s easier to handle.

STEP 3
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a ½cm thickness. Using our templates (download the PDF here), cut out parts A-C from the dough – for each house, you need two of each. Continue to re-roll and cut the dough until you have enough pieces to make eight houses. Using a knife, cut out a small central door on the bottom of each C piece – not too big, as these will be used to fit the houses on the rim of a mug.

STEP 4
Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange all the gingerbread pieces on the tray, spaced apart so they have room to spread in the oven. Bake for 8-9 mins, or until firm and just beginning to darken at the edges. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, trim each piece with a small, sharp knife to create straight edges. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes more, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 5
Gradually mix the icing sugar with water to make a thick, pipeable icing, and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle. Once the gingerbread pieces have cooled, use the icing to stick the edges of the pieces together to make houses. Glue the C pieces between the B pieces, and finish with the A pieces to make a pitched roof for each house. Leave each join to set for about 30 mins before adding the next piece.

STEP 6
Use the remaining icing to add decorative touches like windows, doors or icicles. Once the icing has set, put your mini gingerbread houses on the rims of mugs filled with your favourite hot drink. The gingerbread houses will keep in an airtight container for five days.