John Whaite's mincemeat-stuffed gingerbread biscuits

1 For the gingerbread, grind the whole spices with a pestle and mortar (or in a spice grinder). Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and all of the ground spices into a large mixing bowl. Put the treacle, honey, sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Heat the mixture, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute, then pour onto the dry ingredients along with the egg. Stir with a wooden spoon to form smooth, thick but damp dough; wrap up tightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment. Dust the worktop generously with flour and roll out the dough to 0.3cm thick. Use a 7cm plain cookie cutter to cut out about 40 discs of dough (you'll need to re-roll the scraps). Put 20 discs on the lined baking trays, leaving at least 2cm between each. Spoon 1tsp mincemeat in the centre of each, leaving a 1cm border.

3. Lightly dampen the exposed dough with a pastry brush dipped in water, then put the remaining 20 discs on top, cupping gently around the mincemeat to expel any air; press down around the edges to seal. Using a 6cm fluted cookie cutter, trim the edges from each biscuit. Bake for 16-20 minutes, swapping the trays halfway, or until the gingerbread is slightly swollen and looks drier with a fairly matt finish.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Put the butter in a medium pan over a medium-high heat; allow it to melt, then increase the heat slightly to bring to the boil. Once the bubbling sound stops and a fine, cappucino-like foam forms, remove from the heat and carefully stir in the golden syrup (it may splutter); pour onto the icing sugar along with the milk. Whisk to form a fairly loose glaze; drizzle over the biscuits while they are still warm. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.