1

Put the light brown soft sugar, golden syrup and black treacle in a small pan set over a low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.

2

Stir in low-fat spread until melted, then remove from the heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the plain flour, ground ginger and ground cinnamon until a soft dough forms. Using your hands, form the dough into a disc and wrap in clingfilm, then chill for 30 minutes.

3

Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4. Dust the work surface with plain flour and roll the dough out to a 3mm thickness. Using a 7cm gingerbread man cutter, cut out 25 biscuits, rerolling the trimmings as needed.

4

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper, then bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5

To decorate the biscuits combine the icing sugar and enough water to make a thin icing, start with 1 teaspoon, then pipe over.