Glowing gingerbread pumpkins recipe

1. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick baking paper.Make up the gingerbread mix to pack instructions using the butter and golden syrup.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Cut out rounds using cutters between 7.5-9cm (you can use a mix).
3. Squash the circles into slightly flatter pumpkin shapes, then pinch some of the dough at the top into a stalk.
4. Arrange the biscuits on the prepared trays. Use a small, sharp knife to cut away segments of dough from the rounds to mimic the shape of a pumpkin. Reroll any scraps of dough to make more biscuits.
5. Put the boiled sweets in a food bag and use a rolling pin to bash into pieces just small enough to fit in the cut-out holes. Avoid making the pieces too small – slightly larger pieces will be less fiddly to work with. Scatter a generous layer into the holes in the dough, then freeze the trays for 45 mins. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.
6. Bake the biscuits for 5-7 mins until sandy to the touch and the sweets have melted.
7. Meanwhile, make small leaves using the green icing. Squash and pinch small pieces of icing with your fingers to make leaves, or thinly roll out and cut out leaf shapes with a knife. Mix drops of water into the icing sugar until you have a glue-like consistency, then use to stick the leaves to the cooled biscuits. Add extra pumpkin details with the orange writing icing, then leave the biscuits to dry before stacking in containers or eating. Will keep in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Freeze dough only. Leftover gingerbread can be wrapped up and frozen for up to 3 months. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

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