A TRADITIONAL TREAT
Christmas Gingerbread Cookies
An easy biscuit recipe to add to your Christmas baking repertoire - gingerbread cookies. Get the whole family involved in the icing process and get creative!
Makes 20-40 Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup treacle
3 cup plain flour
2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp bicarb soda
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1.
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees fan-forced. Grease and line oven trays.
2.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar and treacle. Stir over a low heat, until smooth and butter has melted. Cool for 3 minutes
3.
In a large bowl, sift flours, spices and baking soda. Once cooled, add butter/sugar mixture, egg and vanilla. Stir until combined.
4.
Knead dough on a floured surface until it comes together and appears smooth. Form into a rough ball, cover and refrigerate for up to one hour.
5.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper until desired thickness is reached. Lightly flour the biscuit cutters and cut out shapes or place the dough inside the cookie press with your choice of shape and squeeze out your biscuit shape. Carefully place on prepared baking sheets, leaving a bit of room to spread.
6.
Bake for 10-15 (depending on thickness) minutes or until lightly golden.
7.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating using your choice of icing nozzles from the Avanti cookie press.
Shortbread Biscuits
Makes 15-30 cookies
Ingredients
120 g butter, softened
½ cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
2 tbsp corn flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1.
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees fan forced. Grease and line oven trays.
2.
In a stand-mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, ensuring to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
3.
Add egg and beat into the mix. Add a spoonful of flour to avoid curdling as a stabilizer (if needed).
4.
In a large bowl, combine flours and salt. Pour the flour mix into the butter and egg mix, and mix on a low setting until incorporated. Add vanilla and mix.
5.
Wrap the dough in a ball in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to one hour to firm up.
6.
Once the dough is chilled, sprinkle with flour to avoid sticking and roll out with a rolling pin. Keep moving the dough around, adding flour where necessary.
7.
Dust your cookie cutter and cut out cookies. Take away extra scraps to re-roll for more cookies later.
8.
Place on prepared baking sheets and bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until lightly browning. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing for Piping
Ingredients
1 ½ cup icing sugar
Boiling water
Method
1.
Add the icing sugar to a bowl, make a well.
2.
Add a tbsp of boiling water at a time and stir to incorporate. The icing should be a pourable consistency but not too thin.
3.
Pour the icing into a piping bag and pipe icing onto the cooled biscuits.