Iced Hot Cross Bun Cookies

Method

To make the cookies

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, chopped raisins, orange zest, melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Bring together with your hands until a dough forms. Add more flour if too wet or coconut oil if too dry. You want it to be a smooth dough.
3. Roll out the dough than using a round cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and place onto the lined tray. Prick with a fork!
4. Pop the cookies into the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes until golden in colour.
5. Once baked, carefully place them onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool fully before icing.

To make the royal icing

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, add in the chickpea brine and whisk on high until frothy.This usuallytakes around 5 minutes.I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment but you can use a hand mixer.
2. Add in the vanilla extract and icing sugar and whisk together until it holds a stiff peak
3. Transfer into a piping bag and pipe onto the gingerbread men. 

I separated my royal icing into a few different bowls. I left some royal icing plain white for ‘cross’ on the cookie and coloured some a dark brown and light brown. I used the light brown to flood the cookie, allowed it to dry and added on the white cross and the dark dots).

With leftover white, I added a dot of pink food colouring and added on cheeks - So CUTE! I used a piping bag fitted with a small round tip nozzle to create the details. Store in a sealed container and best eaten within a few days! The royal icing hardens at room temperature.