Christmas Biscuits

1.  Preheat oven to 190 Degrees C

2. Beat butter and sugar for 12 minutes until pale and creamy

3. Add golden syrup, flour, ginger and baking soda and beat until a smooth dough forms

4. Refrigerate for 30 mins

5. Roll dough out between 2 pieces of Baking Paper until 5mm thick

6. Refrigerate until firm

7. Cut shapes and place on lined baking trays

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes

9. or roll in plastic wrap and freeze up to a month

1.  Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C

2. Place butter and golden syrup in small pan and heat and stir until butter is melted

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix

4. Add butter mixture and combine

5. Press mixture into a 20 x 30 tin lined with baking paper

6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden

7. Cool in the tin and then cut into triangles

Biscuit

1.Preheat the oven to 160°C

2.Process the flour, parmesan, butter, egg yolks, sugar and thyme in a food processor. Pulse until it comes together. Knead on the bench for 30 seconds. Roll out on a piece of baking paper to 1cm thick.

3.Cut 48 circles with a biscuit cutter. Remove the dough from around the circles and freeze for 15 minutes. Cook straight from the freezer for 15 -20 minutes. Cool completely

Filling

4.Cut the bacon and cook with maple syrup until caramelised. Place into the food processor.

5.Toast the pinenuts and add to the food processor. Pulse the bacon and pinenuts together until fine but not paste. Add in the cream cheese and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse to combine.

6.Put the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag. Pipe the filling on half of the biscuits sandwich together with another biscuit.

7.Toast the black and white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan.

8. Sprinkle the sides of the filled biscuits with black sesame seeds.

1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until fluffy and pale

2. Stir in combined sifted flours and milk in two batches

3. Mix in macadamia nuts and cherries

4. Divide mix in half. Knead each half gently on floured surface until smooth. 

5. Roll halves into 22cm logs, wrap each log in baking paper, refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm

6. Preheat oven to 160 C

7. Grease 3 large oven trays

8. Cut logs into 1 cm slices and place 3 cm apart on trays

9. Bake biscuits for 20 mins or until pale and golden

10. Stand biscuits on trays for 20 mins and then cool on wire racks

11. Suitable to freeze

1. Grease a 20cm square cake pan, line with baking paper, extending 2cm above pan edges

2. Arrange Maltesers over base of pan in a single layer

3. Combine condensed milk, chocolate and melts in large heatproof bowl, sit bowl over a saucepan  of simmering water, stir until smooth

4. Quickly pour over maltesers in pan

5. Gently smooth over top, gently shake pan

6. Refrigerate, covered until firm

7. Cut into 20 pieces

1. Sift icing sugar several times into a large bowl

2. Lightly whisk egg white in a medium bowl using a wooden spoon

3. Add icing sugar one tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition

4. Continue beating until it holds its shape, add extra icing sugar if soft

5. Mix in lemon juice

6. Cover icing tightly with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the icing

7. The icing hardens on standing, add a few drops of glycerine to soften

1. Cream together butter, icing sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and salt, until well combined.

2. Add cranberries, and pistachios, mix until well combined.

3. Add flour, stir just until combined being careful not to over mix.

4. Divide dough into 2. Shape each half into a 2 - 2 1/4 inch wide log, and wrap in plastic wrap or parchment. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

5. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line cookie sheet with baking paper.

6. Slice cookies 1/4 inch thick. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake cookies for 16-18 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets to ensure centers are cooked through.

8. Store cookies in a airtight container.

Note: Freeze the slices and then cook

1. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10–12 minutes or until pale and creamy. 

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the golden syrup, flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon. 

3. Beat until a smooth dough forms. 

4. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 4mm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

5. Preheat oven to 140°C (275°F). Line 3 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. 

6.  Place the gingerbread houses on the trays and bake for 35–50 minutes (depending on their size) or until golden.

7.  Bake the gingerbread shapes for 15–20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on the trays. MAKES 20 

EQUIPMENT: Grease and line two oven trays. To construct the house, wrap a piece of cardboard with tinfoil or use a cake board.

GINGERBREAD: Draw up the template on baking paper and cut out the pieces, don’t worry about cutting out the shape for the round window.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the golden syrup, egg and orange zest and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces and place on three separate sheets of baking paper. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the dough and roll out to roughly 4mm thick.

Place the template pieces on top of the dough and use a sharp knife to trace around them. Remove the excess dough from around the traced shapes but leave them in place, they can be quite delicate and hard to move. Leave the front door and window in place, these will be cut out once baked.

Cut any extra dough into fun shapes using cookie cutters.

Trim the baking paper to fit onto the oven trays and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden. If you’re putting multiple trays in the oven at once, switch them over half way through baking. While the dough is still warm and soft, cut out the door with a small sharp knife and use a small round cookie cutter to cut out a window. Leave on the trays to cool and harden before transferring to a wire rack.

ICING: Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until foaming. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth.

Fill a piping bag with icing and use a small piping tip to decorate the pieces and any extra shapes you’ve made, then put them aside to set.

If your icing has dried out while waiting, add a little water or lemon juice to loosen it.

Plan out the size of the house then pipe a rectangle on the cake board and position the pieces in place. Pipe icing along any pieces that meet and hold in place for 5 or so minutes as the icing sets.

Pipe icing along the top of the house and rest the roof pieces on top. Hold in place for 5-10 minutes as the icing dries, this may require some patience.

COOK’S NOTE: This will yield a lot of icing but it’s better to add more to the structure to keep it sturdy than not having enough. I like to use a slightly thicker icing for the main structure and then a thinner icing for the decorations and fixing sweets to the exterior.

Preheat oven to 180/160 fan forced. Line a 20 x 30cm slice pan with baking paper, allowing the paper to overhang the 2 long sides. Place crispbread over the base of the prepared pan in an even layer.

Combine the sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until thickened.

Pour the sugar mixture evenly over the crispbread. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until sugar mixture is bubbling.

Pour the dark chocolate over the crispbread and use a palette knife to smooth. Set aside until set.

Drizzle over white chocolate and sprinkle with M&M’s and cachous. Set aside until set completely. Break into pieces to serve.

1. Put butter, sugar and golden syrup in mixer and beat for 8-10 mins until pale and creamy

2. Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and beat until a smooth dough forms

3. Add the chocolate and mix well 

4. Refrigerate for 30mins until firm

5. Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper

6. Roll 1 tbsp portions of dough into balls

7. Place on the trays and flatten slightly, allowing room to spread

8. Bake for 10-12 mins or unti cookies are just cracked on top

9. Allow to cool on trays  for 5 mins

10. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely

11. To make peppermint cream, place sugar, milk and peppermint in mixer and beat for 3-4 minutes until smooth

12. Spread the underside of half the biscuits and sandwich with the remaining

13. Makes 18

14. These will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week