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1
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
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2
Put the flour in a bowl and add the butter.
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3
Mix till it begins to come together.
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4
Knead lightly with floured hands into a smooth dough.
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5
Add the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix to a dough.
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6
Put into a plastic bag and chill for at least 30 minutes.
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7
Roll out the cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 5mm thickness.
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8
Cut out shapes with the gingerbread man cutter and place them on the prepared baking tray.
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9
Cut the right hands off all of them and cut mouths out of half of them with a tiny round cutter.
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10
Put back into the fridge to chill again for 30 minutes.
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11
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
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12
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until beginning to brown around the edges.
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13
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before carefully lifting off.
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14
Sandwich the men together in pairs, one with a mouth and one without, with strawberry jam.
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15
Cut pairs of eyes from the ready to roll icing and set aside.
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16
Knead a little brown colouring into the remaining icing.
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17
Roll out the brown icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and cut out hair, beards and moustaches.
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18
Stick to the heads with mouths with a little water.
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19
Sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl and add some egg white, little by little, beating well until a piping consistency is reached.
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20
Divide into two and colour one half green and the other black.
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21
With a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle (or small paper piping bag with the end cut off), pipe the outline of the jackets in black.
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22
Loosen the texture of the green icing with some water, then carefully fill the jacket shapes using a small teaspoon.
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23
Allow to set.
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24
Stick the eyes to the heads with a little water.
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25
Add the pupils with the black colouring and jam to the cut-off hands, all the while screaming in horror and swearing revenge.
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26
You do, after all, always pay your debts.
