Haigh's Chocolate Gingerbread

• 100g Haigh’s Dark Chocolate Pastilles
• 3 cups (450g) plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 125g unsalted butter
• ½ cup (110g) brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly whisked
• ½ cup (125ml) golden syrup

Royal Icing

• 1½ cups (240g) pure icing sugar
• 1 egg white, lightly whisked
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

1. For the gingerbread, pour boiling water into a small saucepan, about a third full and sit a small bowl on top with the chocolate and allow to stand, until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, salt, bicarbonate soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg, golden syrup and melted chocolate, beating until just combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until mixture forms a smooth dough. Divide dough into two equal disks, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.Roll dough to a thickness of 1cm between two sheets of baking paper.
5. Using different sized star and snowflake cutters cut out different shapes. Place gingerbread shapes onto prepared baking tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes, allow to cool a little, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process until all the dough has been used.
6. For the royal icing, combine icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice together until mixture is smooth. To decorate, place icing in a piping bag with a small plain nozzle and decorate to your liking. Place gingerbread on a wire rack until icing is set.