Annabel Karmel's recipe for cute animal cookies

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the golden syrup and egg yolk until just combined. Sift over the flour, ginger, bicarbonate of soda, and salt, and stir in with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Put the dough on a piece of cling film and pat into a disc about 1cm (1/2 inch) thick. Wrap up and refrigerate for 1–2 hours until firm.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan), gas 4. Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking parchment until about 3mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut out shapes that are about 4cm (1 and a half inches) in diameter, and use a palette knife to transfer them to baking trays lined with parchment. If the dough becomes too soft, then lift it, still on the parchment, on to a baking tray and pop in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to firm up.

Bake the biscuits for about 9 minutes until puffed and just turning golden around the edges. For crisper biscuits, bake for a further 2 minutes. Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.