March 16, 2010

St. Patrick’s Day Fig Rolls

Last year I had the pleasure of going on national radio and baking biscuits for Ray D’arcy, who is one of my childhood heroes. He was a childrens television presenter when I was growning up and now presents a very popular morning radio show on Today Fm. It all came about from my friend Gracie being in Australia and asking me whether I had a recipe for a traditional “Irish” biscuit. I had a think and found that I actually couldn’t come up with one! So I thought, Ray D’arcy and his listeners to the rescue!

To cut a long story short, I went into the studio with some Oat Biscuits, Flapjacks, homemade ginger nuts, and these fig rolls. The fig rolls won, and I have made them regularly since and still love the fruity filling, with the buttery shortbread surrounding them.

As tomorrow is St Patricks Day, I thought, what better time to resurrect the recipe, which was adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

To make the figgy filling you will need;

Half pound of dried chopped figs, 80ml apple juice and 30 ml lemon juice.

Place all the ingredients in an airtight jar and seal. Marinate for at least 6 hours, or over night if possible. Drain off part of the liquid, leaving just enough that when you blitz the figs, they resemble a tapenade. Set aside while you make the pastry.

The pastry is a simple shortbread which is buttery and sweet – and super simple. You will need;

175g Plain flour, 100g room temperature butter, 50g caster sugar

Pre heat your oven to 180C.

Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and bring the mixture together until it forms a dough. It is important that your butter is at room temperature as otherwise it will not bind.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and bring together, kneading lightly. Flatten out to form a disc about 2cm in height, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 mins.

When you are ready to assemble, roll out the pastry to about 5mm thickness and cut into a long strip (about 10cm width). Make a few of these, as long as you like. Place the fig mixture along the middle of the strip of pastry. Leave about a cm length at each end free of the mixture. Carefully, take the pastry and roll over itself until you have a long tube and very carefully place on a baking sheep with parchment – it may be easier to roll the pastry on the baking sheet to avoid a floor splattered with fig!

Place the baking sheet into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn – this will totally depend on your oven. You want them to be a rich buttery yellow – not a rich brown!

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces, as small or as large as you like. And if you want to, play around with the shapes. You can layer one piece of pastry on top of the other, or if you feel brave, shape them like tortelloni!!!

What ever shape you try, enjoy, and revel in the joy that you now know just how they get the figs into the fig roll!!!

Happy St Patricks Day to everyone who is Irish, half Irish, quarter Irish, has an O’ in their name, has flown through Irish air space on their way wherever, and to friends and family abroad! I will be enjoying St Patricks Day with some fig rolls – but my favourite part of the day? The lie in and the day off work!

Enjoy,

Orls xx

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March 8, 2010

Viennese Biscuits

This weekend I was abandoned and left alone.

Mr. C was travelling all weekend, playing a gig and working. This left me with Charlie Bird (the dog) to our own devices. It is great to have him around the house when I am on my own as I don’t feel quite so mad when I am chatting away to myself. The weather was also spectacular this weekend with the sun splitting the stones. However, the sunny days have one little drawback. As soon as the sun rises, it comes in my bedroom window and I can’t sleep once this happens. I have thought about blackout blinds, but the sunny mornings happen so little that it seems a shame to miss any of them.

I was out of bed at 7.30 on Sunday morning and had so much energy that I just knew that baking was on the cards. I had flick through my baking books while sitting on the back step with a coffee, and was drawn back to my granny’s recipe book. And straight to the recipe for Viennese Biscuits.

These rich buttery biscuits with one end smothered in chocolate are one of my favourites from any selection boxes that usually surface around Christmas, so I was excited to see whether they would be as good as the ones that I had before.

The biccies are really simple to make, but I amended the recipe a little towards the end as I found the dough too stiff to work with (I added some milk for the last beating of the dough)

Preheat the oven to 190 C and line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

You will need;

8oz butter, 3oz icing sugar sifted, finely grated zest of one orange, 7oz plain flour, 2 oz cornflour,               3 tbsp milk

Cream the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy and pale. Add the orange zest, flour and corn flour in three parts, mixing well after each addition. At the very end add the milk and beat until well Incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and using a star shaped nozzle, pipe 3 inch lengths (or as long as you like) onto the baking sheet. Leave 1 inch between each biscuit.  Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Watch them from about 10 minutes as they turn very quickly.

Once out of the oven, cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the biscuits are cooling, you can make the filling. For this you will need;

1&1/2 oz soft butter, 2 tbsp fresh squeeze orange, 4 oz sieved icing sugar

beat the butter and sugar together until soft and combined. Add the orange and beat together

Take one biscuit, spread with filling and gently press a second biscuit on top and set aside. Melt 60 grams of good quality dark chocolate in a double boiler and either dip half of the biscuit into the chocolate and leave to set, or sprinkle chocolate all over the biscuits.

These biscuits are super buttery and the hint of orange in the biscuit and in the filling freshens it up. The chocolate also gives a hint of bitter sweetness that will satisfy your chocolate cravings! However, I have to warn you. These are very moreish! I had to package them all up and give them to my mum and granny, but not before I carried out some random quality checks!

Enjoy,

Orls x

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February 22, 2010

Date Bread

Not that kind of date. These kind of dates.

I was recently lucky enough to be given my grandmother’s recipe book. My Gran is 86 years old. She raised 10 children and there are so many grandchildren that I actually can’t keep count. We often refer to her as being like the Godfather. At family gatherings, she makes an entrance,  everyone comes to speak to her, and then she leaves when she wants! Recently the family home was renovated and there was a clear out and well, I was delighted that my aunt thought of me to get the famous recipe book. It has seen better days but it was a joy to carefully turn the pages and see her handwriting.

One of the recipes, among others, that jumped out at me was Date Bread. I recalled that I had a jar of dates in the press just waiting around for someone to come and show them some love. The recipe directions were not very detailed but it all seemed simple enough to make.

Pre-heat your oven to 190C and grease and line a loaf tin. You will need;

4oz whole meal flour, 4oz plain flour, 2 level tsp baking powder, 2tbsp golden syrup, 7tbsp milk, 6oz chopped dates*, 2 oz margarine.

*I used dried dates.

Mix the flours and baking powder together. Rub the margarine into the mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the chopped dates and mix well.  In a saucepan, heat the milk and the golden syrup very gently until it comes together. Pour the mixture into the flour and date mixture and mix well. Pour the mix into the loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven. The recipe states for 1 hour, but I took it out after 45 minutes. Check the bread from about 40 mins onwards. Use a knife inserted to test. If it comes out clean, the bread is cooked. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice, serve and enjoy.

The whole meal flour in the bread gives it a nuttiness, and the golden syrup is surprisingly, not overpowering in its sweetness. When I am making it again, I would try soaking the dates in some brandy and heating them over a low heat for 30 mins or so before chopping.

I was on a serious coffee buzz yesterday so I had a slice of the cake, still warm with a very strong coffee in my favourite mug from Boston.

Enjoy,

Orlsxx

PS, In other news this week, we are delighted to have been nominated for a blog award, in the best photo blog category. It is an amazing honour to see lil ole Gracie’s Bakes along side so many amazing blogs. You should certainly check out the list of nominees and sign up for the ones you like. There is an amazing blogging community in Ireland. I have been very lax recently as work has been taking more and more of my time as is the nature of my work. However the other nominees are religious, and methodical about sharing parts of their lives with their readers. Enjoy the links

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February 8, 2010

Hot Chocolate Fondant

I had the girls round for dinner the other night. Mr. C was doing his thing in London so my two girlfriends came round and it was great to see them and catch up. I had a little difficulty trying to decide what to cook for dinner, but I did know that, having shared a room with one of them in college for 2 years, the chocolate fondant I had decided on for dessert would be a big hit. And it was!

I have always loved chocolate fondant but was terrified of trying to make them for years. Two minutes too little in the oven, and the will end up all over the plate like chocolate sauce. Two minutes too long and they are like upside down cupcakes. However, when you get the timing right, they resemble an upside down cupcake on the outside, but when you break into them, the hot chocolate filling oozes out over your plate.

They are very simple to make and can be made in advance, stored in the fridge to be baked when you require them. I usually take them out of the fridge when serving dinner to allow them to come up to room temperature before baking for 9-12 minutes at 180C. It may take a couple of tries to get them perfect. I had the timing down to a T when I was using my mothers oven, however, when I was using my own, it took 2 or 3 attempts to get it right. And I have to say that I did enjoy those efforts.

To make, you will need to grease 4-5 dariole molds with unsalted butter, and then dust with cocoa. Set to one side.

Your ingredients are;

100g unsalted butter, 100g dark chocolate*, 100g caster sugar, 100g whole eggs & 50g plain flour

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain marie. While this is melting, whisk the sugar and eggs together until creamy. Once the chocolate has melted, pour two tablespoons of the chocolate into the sugar and egg mixture and stir. Once combined, pour the rest of the chocolate into the mixture and combine.

Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in gently.

Pour the batter into the molds and bake in your preheated oven for 9-12 minutes. I find that three quarter filling the molds is more than enough. These are very rich.

These little chocolate fondants are also perfect for a certain Jour d’Amour that is fast approaching. You could easily half the ingredients and just make two. Serve with a rich vanilla icecream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Valentines Day is not an event in our house. I cancel it every year in early January. However, saying that each to their own. If you do celebrate Valentines, this is the perfect dessert to finish a quiet, romantic night in. If you are trying to watch the pennies, why not stay in and make dinner together. One of you can make the mains and the other the dessert.

We will be celebrating on the 13th (hopefully) when Ireland play France. Fingers crossed the Irish rugby team and fans can show the French a thing or two about passion!!!

Enjoy,

Orls xx

*I have used 100% cocoa solid chocolate for these before and they were amazing, but ridiculously heavy. If you are using that high a cocoa content, you could use a smaller mold.

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January 26, 2010

Zucchini/Courgette Bread & A new Arrival

Things have been very busy in our house for the last few weeks. We finally got around to painting the living room transforming it from a magnolia room that was just too bright at night to a lovely, cosy space that feels a little more like home, and not a rented house that you can do nothing with.

We have also had a new and very exciting arrival in the house. We had always planned on it eventually, but a Sunday afternoon drive left us with more than we had bargained for. Charlie Bird. He is lovely, friendly and very needy. He makes noise when he is left alone and rewards you with bright eyes and excitement when you come back.

Charlie Bird is an 18 month old Boxer cross that we got in the Rescue Centre. He had been abandoned before Christmas and when we saw him in his cage 2 weeks ago, I fell in love with him. I have wanted a boxer since I was about 10 and he is an absolute joy. He is a little needy at the moment, but in fairness who wouldn’t be if left on the side of the road to fend for yourself at just 18 months old?  There are so many dogs that are abandoned by people who don’t realise how big a dog will grow/how much time and exercise they need or who  simply change their mind. If you are thinking of getting a dog, don’t buy one, give a rescue dog a second chance and give them a home. They are a wonderful friend to have in the house and have so much love to give.

Right, after that little rant, I have done little baking in January. However, a search through the veg drawer in the fridge revealed 3 courgettes that were begging for a bit of excitement in their lives .They obviously did a little too much over the holidays too, like me!  I recalled seeing a recipe for courgette, or Zucchini bread, on 101 Cookbooks a while ago. The preparation of ingredients will take a little while, but once that is done, the rest is super simple.

You will need;

1.5 cups chopped walnuts, half cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, half cup soft light sugar, 3 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 courgettes grated*, 3 cups wholewheat flour, 1.5tsp baking soda, half tsp baking powder, 1tsp salt, 1tsp cinnamon

* You will need to squeeze out a lot of the fluid out of the courgettes and fluff them up a little.

Preheat the oven to 180C, and line 2 loaf tins.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and add the eggs one by one. Scrape down the sides and base of the bowl each time and make sure that the mixture is well incorporated. Add the vanilla, and turn the speed right down. Add the courgettes and beat slowly.

In a 2nd bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir. Fold in the walnuts and pour into the loaf tin.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Try not to leave it in the tin as it will go soggy.

The flavours, with the walnuts and the cinnamon, reminds me a lot of carrot cake. I changed the recipe from 101 Cookbooks a little in that I didn’t want any poppyseeds or ginger. But feel free to add your own. AND it is a great way of including some of your five a day in your diet. And lets face it, you can never eat too many vegetables.

The marathon training is going well…ish. I have joined a running club and meet them a couple of times a week. This weekend, I am due to do a long run which should be interesting! I will keep you all informed. Whether you want to know or not!!! hee hee.

Enjoy, I am off to see whether I can make a needy dog stop whining. I think he thinks that we are going to leave him alone.

Orlsxxx

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January 11, 2010

New Year, Snow and Detox Promises

 
Happy New Year!!!!!

A Grey and snowy drive to Co. Clare

Things have been mighty cold here since the week before Christmas. What started as inconvenient icy roads and pretty hazardous driving conditions, turned into the worst, and coldest weather that we have seen in about 30 years. Christmas was a very quiet affair as a result. I headed to my parents house on Christmas Eve and didn’t leave until the 27th as the roads were horrid!

New Year was fab, and while the weather was bitterly cold, we spent the weekend with friends in a beautiful little secret of a place called Loop Head, which is the most westerly point in Co. Clare on the west coast of Ireland. While to took us 6 hours to get there, it was well worth it. Good food, lots of wine (a couple of hot whiskeys for medicinal purposes you understand) and great company with good friends helped us ring in what, I hope will be a great New Year.

As we all know, with the new year, comes resolutions, or promises to ourselves that we are going to get healthier, spend more time with family, or get our finances in order (All three for me it seems!) It has been shown that the most common of all resolutions is to lose weight after the madness that is Christmas. Mince pies for breakfast, followed by a turkey and stuffing sandwich for elevenses plays havoc with non elasticated waist bands. Oh… just me then??? Right…

Well the following recipe for Granola, bursting  with dried cranberries, blueberries and apricots will make the particular resolution about healthier eating, seem like less of a chore! The ingredients include porridge oats, which are proven to lower cholesterol as well as being a low GI food.  If you can, get hold of dried berries that are not infused with sugar. This whacks up the calorie content and makes the granola not as  healthy as it could be!

I have adapted a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa (her recipe has cashews which I am not mad about, and cherries which I didn’t have in stock!) I have mine with some natural yoghurt and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon, but you could enjoy it over some stewed apple or even with milk à la Mr. C. Super easy to make, it stores in an airtight container for about 3 weeks meaning that you always have something sweet to nibble on, avoiding the attack of the goody drawer.

To Make the granola, you will need;

4Cups rolled porridge oats, 2 cups flaked almonds, 2 cups desiccated coconut, 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil, 1/2 cup Honey, 1 1/2 cup dried apricots chopped, 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, 1 cup dried blueberries

Preheat your oven to 180C. Toss the oats, almonds and coconut in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the honey and vegetable oil together and pour into the oat mix. Stir unti the oats are all coated. You may need to get your hands into the mix to make sure that they are all coated well. Pour the mix into a large baking sheet and bake until the mix turns a nice even brown. You will need to stir the mixture every 5-10 minutes to make sure no burning. I found that I had to stir about every 7 mins as the edges were starting to burn a little. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.

While cooling, combine the apricots, cranberries and blueberries in a bowl, and once the oat mix is completely cool add the fruit and stir well. Store in an airtight container. As I said earlier, the mix will keep for about 3 weeks once airtight.

 

 

A couple of tablespoons of granola with a heaped tablespoon of natural yoghurt, and sprinkle of cinnamon certainly kept the nibbles away for the past couple of days while I was snowed in!

An Alternative to the Goody Drawer

So why not brighten up the dreary month that is January and enjoy your detox!!!

Orls xx

PS Just to write it down and seem more real (if that is possible) I will be taking part in the London Marathon on April 26th for a very good cause (more on that later) I have always said that London is my Everest and 2010 is the year that I conquer it… I hope.

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December 20, 2009

For the Seventh Bake of Christmas…

I was starting to get a little tired. Working a full time job, cooking lots, visiting radio stations AND getting ready for Christmas is very tiring for me. Very Tiring indeed.

My sofa has been calling me for a few days now. And what started as a whisper has become a loud noise from the living room. The final of Strictly Come Dancing was on Saturday evening, and even though I got home late from work (on a Saturday), I had recorded it.

The weather here has been so so cold over the past few days and it even snowed on Friday night. It was bitterly cold on Saturday night when I was getting in, so I was quick about putting on my PJ’s and a fluffy hoody and snuggling up on the sofa with a steaming hot cup of tea and some Sticky Gingerbread, courtesy of Nigella’s Christmas.

Light, dusted lightly with icing sugar, and just as nice served slightly warm, this gingerbread zings with ginger and cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a roasting tin or ovenproof dish ( about 30cm x 20cm) with parchment.

150g Butter, cubed, 200g golden syrup, 200g black treacle, 125g dark muscovado sugar, 2 tsp freshly grated ginger, 1tsp ground ginger, 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp bicarb of soda dissolved in 30ml warm water, 250ml  full fat milk, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 300g plain flour.

Melt the butter, golden syrup, treacle, sugar, fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves over a low heat until combined.  Take off the heat and add the milk and eggs. Add the bicarb of soda that has been dissolved.

Sift the flour into a bowl and pour in the wet ingredients. Beat the mixture until well mixed. The batter will be very wet but this is the way it is meant to be.

Pour into the baking tin and place in the middle of the oven for 45-60 minutes. It will be well risen and firm but bewares as it it overcooks, it will be bitter. And dry. Which will mean it will no longer be sticky ginger bread! When cooked, let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before cutting into about 20 squares.

This is better a couple of days after cooking. Wrap in parchment and store in an airtight container. To serve, dust with icing sugar. If you wish, heat ever so gently and have with a strong coffee or tea while watching celebrities dance for our entertainment!

This would be perfect any time of year, not just christmas.

Enjoy,

Orlsxxx

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December 20, 2009

On the Sixth Bake of Christmas…

I cheated a little and didn’t really bake anything. Or cook for that matter.

I melted some chocolate and that was about it!

I made pudding bonbons. Little morsels of christmas pudding and chocolate that explode full of flavour in your mouth. Pretty to look at and rich in flavour, you may only manage one or two before you put the lid back on the box and return them to the fridge until next time. They are simple to make but guaranteed to wow any crowd. Or place them in a pretty box and give them as a gift.

Before you start line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking sheet.

You will need;

125g best quality dark chocolate, chopped, 350g leftover, or freshly cooked and cooled christmas pudding, 60ml sherry or whatever alcohol you used in the pudding, 30ml golden syrup

Crumble the pudding into a large bowl and add the alcohol and the golden syrup. Mix well. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and add to the pudding mix. Stir and combine well.

Make the next step easier on yourself and get hold of some of those latex disposable gloves. Honestly, you will thank me for it when you see the state of them! Pinch out small amounts of mixture and roll them into small balls. The size is up to you but just bear in mind that they pack an incredible punch!  You should get about 30 balls from this mixture.  Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to set.

When ready to decorate, you will need;

100g white chocolate chopped, 6 glacé cherries and 6 green glacé cherries or 6 lengths of angelica

Melt the chocolate in a bain marie, and while allowing to cool slightly, chop the glacé cherries and angelica. These will represent holly and leaves. Use a teaspoon to lightly drop some white chocolate on the top of each pudding. When you have placed the chocolate on all the mini puddings, the next step is to place the cherries, red and green, on the top. You will need to do this fairly quickly as the chocolate will set fast!

These sweets can be made a week in advance. Store them in a cool dark place until you use them or give them as a gift. If you are giving them away on the same day as you make them, place a small label with the sweets telling the recipient to eat within a week. If you make them a week in advance, the note should read to store in a cool place and eat within 2 days.

However, I guarantee, they will not last that long.  They literally vanished the last time I gave them as a gift.

Enjoy this mouthful of christmas. xx

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December 19, 2009

For the fifth bake of Christmas…

I went AWOL. Sorry about that.

Big news here with a radio show appearance with Mr. C which meant that all the baking was done. But all the blogging was put on the longest finger that I have! But we are back.

The radio show appearance was for the Alison Curtis Office Christmas Party, on Today FM. You can stream it here if you want to listen. Mr C appears 4 times singing some christmas tunes. Click on Thursday 17th December.

I arrived laden down with goodies, all of which will feature in the coming posts. However, the ones that I found myself eating the most were the Christmas Morning Cranberry Muffins. They are so simple to make, and cook in 20 minutes. If you want your house to smell of cinnamon, orange and yum on Christmas morning, you can also make a batch, keep in a jug and pour into a muffin tin. They will make a nice light alternative to a full breakfast on a day that is so full of food!

You will need;

250g  Plain flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 100g caster sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 2 clementines (or one orange) aprox 125ml full fat milk, 75ml vegetable oil, 1 egg, 175g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 200 C and line a 12 muffin tin with papers. Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Grate the zest of the clementines into the mix and combine. If you are planning on making the mix in advance, leave the grating until just before your pour the mix.

Squeeze the juice of the clementines or orange, in a measuring jug and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 200ml mark. Add the oil and egg and lightly beat until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir until just combined. A slightly lumpy batter is a good thing here!

Fold in the cranberries and then spoon the batter into the muffin cases. If you are doing this on christmas morning, leave the batter in a jug, and stir up to mix the cranberries and pour into the cases.

If you wish, sprinkle some demerera sugar on the top. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

By this time your kitchen and house will be full of the smells of christmas!  These muffins are very light and you will eat more than one!

Enjoy!

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December 15, 2009

For the Forth Bake of Christmas…

….I was a little confused as to what to make for my cousins for Christmas Eve. They are all very very excited about a certain Mr Claus visiting and tell me at every opportunity just how many sleeps are left until C-Day. They usually leave lovely cookies out for Santa, and a glass of milk. Of course, when we were little it was a couple of biscuits and some brandy or some whiskey. But we all know how important it is for Mr Claus to stay safe while conducting his world tour and driving a sleigh.

As well as giving them some lovely biscuits to share with Santa, these biscuits double up as tree decorations and, as with a lot of the other Christmas Bakes, make a lovely gift to share with children and adults who are also waiting to see whether they have been good or not!

They are super simple to make and I use the rich butter shortbread recipe. Just roll out the biscuits a little thicker than normal and poke a hole in the top of them before baking. When making the hole, don’t make it too close to the top as when they come out of the oven they can be a little delicate.

You will need to preheat your oven to 180C and to have a baking sheet and the necessary cookie cutters ready. The christmas tree and snowman that I have are actually pancake moulds that I picked up in Crate and Barrel a couple of years back in Boston. I have never actually used them as pancake moulds.

To make the cookies, you will need;

175g Flour, 100g Butter at room temp, cubed, and 50g caster sugar

Rub the butter and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and bring the mix together until it forms a dough. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead ever so slightly. Form the dough into a disc about 3cm thick, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 mins.

When you want to cut the shapes, roll out to a thickness of about 5-7mm, cut the shapes and place on a baking sheet. Using a sharp tool, or the end of a wooden skewer, poke a hole in the top of the cookie shape.

Place the biscuits in your preheated oven for 9-12 minutes until golden brown. Watch them carefully though as they will turn dark brown and bitter very quickly! And well, you can’t give them to anyone. You just have to eat them. (When I say bitter, I don’t mean inedible!!!)

Once cooked take them out of the oven and allow to cook on a wire rack. Once completely cool, you can decorate them as you wish. With 6 cousins, I find it is easier to put their names on them to avoid any little rows about shapes or the like. Use some pretty ribbon and thread carefully through the hole in the biscuit. Place in a clear plastic bag with the ribbon coming through the top and a bag tie at the top.

Hang on your tree until Santa comes to visit, at which stage, you can place on a plate with a glass of milk. It may also be advisable to take a little nibble just to make sure that Santa will like it!!!!

These biscuits will keep on the tree for a couple of days but just make sure that the bag tie is nice and tight and the bag is as airtight as possible.

Why not include them in a gift hamper for your friends and family. They will bring out the child in everyone! And for a little Christmas kick, why not add a half teaspoon of ground ginger to the dough.

Enjoy!

Orls xxx

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