Makes: Approximately 25 starry linzers. Size as seen above.

ingredients

GROUP A - GINGERBREAD COOKIES

• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 cups AP flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/2 tsp cloves, ground to a powder

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Pinch of garam masala

GROUP B - APPLE WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 170 g white chocolate

• 120 ml heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup harvest apple spice loose leaf tea (I used this one)

• 1/4 tsp + pinch of Maldon sea salt

method

Gingerbread Cookies

• Beat the butter and both sugars in a medium bowl till the mixture is fluffy, pale, and creamy.

• Add in the maple syrup and egg yolk. Beat again to form a cohesive mixture.

• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Sift this mixture into the wet mixture in parts, and fold with a spatula till it forms a thick dough. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

• Divide the dough into halves. Flatten each piece to a disk. Roll out to 1/6-inch thickness. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

• Take out each piece of rolled dough and cut shapes of your choice with a cookie cutter. Cut small “windows” in half of the cookies. Place all the cut-outs on a parchment lined baking tray. Chill again for 10 minutes.

• Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies slightly brown. Take out the tray and leave the cookies on it for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely at room temperature before decorating.

Apple White Chocolate Ganache

• Add the loose leaf tea to a strainer. Pour the whipping cream in a small microwave proof jar. Warm the cream for 20-30 seconds and steep the tea in it till the white chocolate is caramelized.

• Chop up the white chocolate into small pieces and add to a non stick pan. Heat it on medium heat while continuously stirring with a whisk, till the chocolate is entirely caramelized. This might take up to 25 minutes because you have to avoid the temptation to increase the heat to speed up the process, or you might end up with burnt chocolate.

• Once caramelized and nicely browned, take out the tea strainer and add the infused cream to the white chocolate. Add the salt and beat the mixture till it’s glossy. Cool it completely in the fridge. Cover with plastic wrap till it’s ready to use.

Assembly

• Take one of the windowless cookies and add a dollop of ganache to it. Spread it a bit. Stick a window cookie over it. Repeat for all cookies.

• Finish with a dusting of some edible glitter or powdered sugar, or get fancier and decorate with royal icing.