Random Eatings - Graduation Gingerbread & Lamingtons

I am a random child so expect some random posts.

I get stupid, crazy baking ideas sometimes and even though I know it's a mess waiting to happen I always press on and try to realise my ideas anyway.

That's why I decided to bake graduation-themed gingerbread men for my closest friends who were graduating with me. I felt like I wanted to give them a little present and a little cookie seemed like a great idea. But how on earth could I make it graduation themed? I spent far too much time considering my options. Licorice allsort hats maybe? White chocolate curls for scrolls?

In the end I kept it simple, mainly because just making the gingerbread men was enough of an ordeal and I needed to get up early the next day for my morning graduation ceremony. I chose to use the Australian Women's Weekly recipe that was posted on grabyourfork ages ago. It was a great recipe, the biscuits turned out perfectly. But making them graduation gingerbread men was a nightmare! My gingerbread cookie cutter was too small so I had to cut out a cardboard stencil of a gingerbread man wearing a graduation cap and they were too big so the limbs kept falling off or got stuck to whatever surface it was on. It took me forever!

Big daddies. I also made mini ones using my tiny cutter with the leftover scraps of dough

By the time I actually got around to decorating them, it was already pretty late and I was extremely crabby. I found some black food colouring at Coles but was nervous about using it as it seemed to give the icing a horrible bitter flavour. Plus it only seemed to turn it grey at first. But I used it anyway and it turned out alright. My counter and hands were completely covered in black food colouring though. My piping bag skills are amateurish at best, but I think you get the general idea. It's the thought that counts anyway right?

Lazily packaged up and ready to go

I think everyone liked them, a couple got eaten straight away! So I was pleased after all the stress. A says they weren't made with love, but frustration and hormones hahaha. Oh well, they got the desired effect!

Hee I'm a total dork.

Random thing number 2 - gigantic lamington, yeah!

Mum swears these are the best lamingtons in Sydney. I don't know if I can back up that claim up, but they weren't too shabby. Absolutely enormous but it still managed to have a good chocolate-to-cake ratio. And it was super light, like eating a cloud. Where from? The local bakery next to Coles in Lane Cove.