I might be feeling rather smug as my Christmas shopping is already done before I head to Dubai later this week, but when it comes to wrapping I'm in a squandry. Usually my wrap, ribbons and tags are all carefully coordinated with my festive décor and tree (obsessive stylist much?!) but as we're going to be away from home this year and won't have the full on Christmas experience, I want to add an extra something special to my gifts. Thank goodness the lovely Rachel from Honeywell Bakes may just have the answer, with these cute-and-totally-delicious gingerbread cookie gift tags, part of her 12 days of Christmas series being shared on some of your favourite blogs in the run up to the 25th.

Simple to make, an edible gift tag has got to be a winner for children and adults alike, so you can be sure I'll be stocking up on the ingredients as soon as my flight lands!

Over to Rebecca for the details -

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 batch of gingerbread dough (makes approximately 40 gift tags)
• Gift tag cookie cutter (available from Amazon) or a paper gift tag which can be used as a template
• White ready to roll fondant icing
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• Edible ink pens - we love the Americolour ones but they are pricey. Other edible ink pens are available in some supermarkets, Hobbycraft and online
• Letter stamps (optional)
• A drinking straw
• Twine/string
• Cello bags (optional)

INGREDIENTS:

• (adapted from Peggy Porschen's gingerbread recipe)
• 210g light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons treacle
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup
• 5 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons powdered ginger
• 3 tablespoons powdered cinnamon
• 250g diced butter
• 600g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• METHOD:

• Put the sugar, treacle, syrup, water, and spices into a saucepan and heat, stirring, until it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until well combined. Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir though. Leave to cool.
• Mix in the flour to form a dough, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour
• Roll out the dough between two pieces of greaseproof paper to about 0.5cm thick. Cut out the shapes using the cookie cutter, or if you are using a gift tag as a template then lightly dust it with flour to stop it sticking to the gingerbread dough. Place it on the dough, and using a sharp knife cut around it.

• Using the straw to make hole in the top of each biscuit. If some of the dough gets stuck in the straw, snip a bit off the end.
• Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes. If you skip this step your biscuits will grow in the oven.
• Bake at 180C for approximately 10 minutes. If the holes close up whilst baking, don't panic! Use a skewer to gently open them up again whilst warm but be careful they will be hot! Leave to cool completely.
• Roll out the fondant icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to about 2 mm thick. Cut out gift tag shapes, using a straw to make holes in them as before. Using a clean paint brush, pastry brush or even your fingers, dampen the top of the biscuits with water, and then place the fondant icing on top. The water will 'glue' the icing to the biscuits.

• Leave to dry for a few hours, or ideally overnight.
• Use the edible pens to draw designs and write names on the gift tags.
• To stamp names on the biscuits, make sure the rubber stamps are clean, then colour in the rubber letters with the edible pens. Stamp them carefully onto the biscuits. You can test it on a piece of paper first to make sure you've coloured them in correctly.

Your gift tags will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 months, so they can be made ahead. Tie them onto gifts with twine, or pop them into a cello bag first to keep them fresh. It's best to put them on your gifts just before you give them to the lucky recipients.