Sticky gingerbread buns with spiced brown butter icing
Elevate standard cinnamon buns with the warming Christmassy flavours of ginger and cloves. Adding treacle also helps bring out the gingerbread flavours
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 20 x 20cm brownie tin with baking parchment. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water) or in 20-second bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth, then cool slightly.
Combine the flour, cocoa, ground ginger, cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl. Set aside. Beat the sugar and eggs in
a large bowl using an electric whisk for 3-5 mins until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick and foamy.
Pour the melted chocolate into the wet ingredients, then sift in the dry. Fold together using a spatula. Fold in the chopped chocolate and stem ginger until smooth (be careful not to over-mix and knock out the air).
Pour the batter into the tin. Level the surface. Bake for 25 mins until set with a slight wobble in the middle and a crisp, shiny crust.
Remove from the oven and press the gingerbread into the surface while warm. If freezing, leave to cool before adding the gingerbread, then wrap and freeze for up to two months. Defrost overnight. Cool fully in the tin (overnight, if you have the time). Cut into squares. Will keep in an airtight container for five days.