Graciesbakes

….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