Gingerbread mitten with cherry filling

Ingredients:

Cookie

• Two layers of ready-made frozen shortcrust pastry for baking a pie (total 400 - 450 g)
• Wheat flour, for dusting
• 1 large egg
• Special equipment: 10cm mitten-shaped cutter; three pastry bags fitted with a #6 or #7 round tip, a #3 or #4 round tip and a #103 or #104 rose petal tip

Filling

• 300 g frozen cherries, thawed, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Royal icing and decorating

• 450 g of powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp meringue powder (dry mix for making meringue)
• Blue food grade gel paint for glaze
• White snowflake sprinkles for decoration

Preparation:

1. Prepare the fillingIn a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries release their juices and the sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes. The liquid begins to thicken.
   
   In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan with the cherries and continue cooking, stirring, until the filling thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice, and cool completely.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 200°C.
   
   Prepare gingerbread cookiesLightly flour your work surface. Unfold both layers of dough, dust them with flour, and roll them out with a rolling pin until the dough is slightly thinner. Using a 10-centimeter mitten cutter, cut out as many mittens as possible, roll the scraps out into a sheet, and cut out more mittens; you should have 16 to 20.
3. Place half of the mittens on the prepared baking sheets. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the edges of the mittens with the egg wash. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of cherry filling into the center (the amount of filling you use will depend on the size of the cookies).
   
   Cover the mittens with the other halves of dough, pressing them together with your fingers. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash. Make a small hole in the top of each mitten to allow steam to escape.
   
   Bake the gingerbread cookies until golden and crispy on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Prepare royal icing and decorationsMeanwhile, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of water and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft, glossy peaks form, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smoother, slightly thicker consistency. Transfer one-third of the icing to a small bowl. Add food coloring to the remaining icing to make it blue.
5. Place the blue frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a #6 or #7 round tip. Place half the white frosting in another bag fitted with a #3 or #4 round tip, and the other half in a third pastry bag fitted with a rose petal tip.
   
   Apply a thin blue line around the edge of each gingerbread cookie, leaving the cuff unpainted. Let the icing sit for a few minutes. Fill the entire marked area with blue icing. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth the icing evenly. Sprinkle snowflakes over the icing.
6. Using white icing and a rose petal tip, create a ribbed cuff. Pipe a seam along the edge of the mitten using white icing and a simple round tip. Allow the icing to harden before serving; this will take about 1 hour.