Mr Bean’s Gingerbread Box

To make the gingerbread
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the softened butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla essence and black treacle. Whisk again. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. 

Divide dough into six pieces, weighing approx. 140g each. Place each piece between a layer of cling film and roll to a thickness of 1cm.

The dough is easier to cut into squares once it has set in the fridge for at least six hours, or overnight. Before refrigerating, check you have six pieces that can be cut to size without needing to re-roll. You’ll need:
- 4 squares measuring 10.5cm on each side (for the walls of the box)
- 1 square measuring 10cm on each side (for the base)
- 1 square measuring 12cm on each side (for the lid)

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 175°c and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Remove the cling film and place the dough on the baking tray. Leave 1” between each piece so they don’t stick together. Before baking, cut your pieces to the sizes listed above. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. After 10 minutes check to ensure they don’t brown at edges. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking tray. Once fully cooled, transfer to a baking rack and leave overnight (otherwise they’ll collapse during assembly). Do not store in an airtight container as they will soften. 

To make the Royal icing 
Mix the icing sugar, egg white, half the lemon juice and water in the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Add the remaining lemon juice and water until it comes together. Take care not to add too much water or it will become runny. Once it is a smooth but medium/thick paste, whisk on high speed for 10-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. It needs to be a thick enough consistency to hold its shape when piped. Runny icing will not set or hold together. 

You’ll need two piping bags. Place a star tip icing nozzle (e.g. Wilton 1M or 4B) in one piping bag and a round tip nozzle in the other. Divide the icing between the bags.  

Tip: You can make the royal icing on the same day as the gingerbread and store it in an airtight container until you are ready to decorate.

To assemble the gingerbread box
Pipe a small amount of icing on the back of the 10cm biscuit and attach it to a plate or cake board. Pipe along the bottom edge of one wall panel and stick it on the base, holding in place for a few minutes. Continue until all the pieces are in place. 

Decorate as desired and fill to the top with jellybeans!