Gingerbread Krampus Cookies DIY

Gruß vom Krampus! I wanted to have a go at making some festive gingerbread, but little men and houses and whatnot are so prosaic, don't we feel? So let's make the half-demon half-goat Christmas fiend himself. I took the recipe from the Edmond's Cookery Book, New Zealand's favourite cook book, whose recipes are relatively fail proof.

Ingredients:
150g unsalted butter
70g soft brown sugar
70g white sugar
200g treacle
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 cups white flour

For icing I used black fondant, white fondant, and red marzipan. You could also use standard royal icing, but I wanted the certain look that fondant has. However, fuck fondant, that shit was so hard to use. The marzipan was far more agreeable. But if you're already adept at using fondant, go ahead!

Method: 
1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Cut the butter into small lumps and place in a large mixing bowl. Place the sugars, treacle and spices in a heavy-based saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until melted together and the mixture comes to the boil.

3. Add the baking soda and stir again until the mixture froths up and turns a pale gold.

4. Remove from the heat and pour the treacle mixture onto the butter. Stir well until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth.

5. Mix in the egg, then sift the flour and stir in, one cup at a time.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly until smooth.

7. Divide in half and shape each portion into a rectangle. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for a few minutes if the dough seems too soft to roll easily.

8. Roll out one piece of the dough at a time to 5mm thickness. Cut out shapes and place on the prepared trays. The dough will be quite soft to begin with and you may need to use a spatula to lift the biscuits. You can re-roll the scraps several times – the dough does not get tough.

9. Bake for 15–20 minutes until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown. Leave on the trays for a 1–2 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool. 

Video:

If you have a go at these, good luck, and have fun! I would love to see your efforts on Instagram!