Trifle with homemade gingerbread cookies in pear-honey syrup

Ingredients:

• 3 cups premium flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of coarse salt
• 165 g softened butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 tbsp. store-bought pear-honey scrub
• 3 cups chilled heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. softened mascarpone cheese
• Special equipment: trifle pan

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup, molasses, and egg, whisking until smooth. Gradually fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and knead until smooth.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form the dough into 2.5 cm balls and distribute them evenly among the sheets. Bake until very dark, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, 10–12 minutes. Remove and let cool. Spray the cooled cookies with a spray bottle.
4. In a large glass bowl, combine the whipped cream and powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth.
5. Spread a little frosting over the bottom of a trifle pan and top with gingerbread cookies.
6. Spread a little more cream over the cookies, top with more cookies and cream. Decorate with the remaining cookies, if you have any. Let set completely before serving.
   
   Pear-honey shrub:
   This is a sweet fruit syrup with vinegar. It's also called "drinking vinegar." You can find it in specialty grocery stores.