Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or gas mark 4. Begin making the gingerbread men by mixing the plain flour, xanthan gum, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Add the butter and rub between your fingers to form breadcrumbs. Add the dark brown sugar, golden syrup and egg to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3mm (use plain flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface). Use a gingerbread cutter and cut out as many shapes as you can and place on a baking sheet (lined with baking paper). Bake the cookies for 13 minutes until dark brown in colour Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
For the cupcakes, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, eggs, milk and flour and mix well. Transfer to 12 cupcake cases and place in the oven (gas mark 4 or 180 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes.
Leave to cool on a wire rack and prepare the icing. Mix together the icing sugar, ginger, vanilla and butter until it forms a stiff buttercream. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top with a mini gingerbread man and a sprinkling of gingerbread biscuit crumbs to serve.