I can't remember a year our family hasn't made a batch of these Christmas butter biscuits! Super simple to make and a nice basic biscuit to nibble on that isn't rich and fun for kids to make as well.
You can use any cookie cutters you like but my family have always stuck with this classic look. I picked up this great set of reversible cutters by Tala a little while ago in a baking shop, but you can find them in many places including Amazon for around £5.50. The scallop edges are so pretty!
To create the holly impression on top I used a small metal holly leaf cutter and a piping nozzle for the berries. Just be careful not to press all the way through the dough when making the impression.
For the colour, I used Rainbow Dust Pro gel. Its concentrated meaning you only need a small amount to get a bold colour. These food gels are much better than liquids which my mum and I used to use for years. Liquid food colour had a tendency to fade when the biscuits were baking however these gels really hold their colour.
Of course, you can create any design and use any colours you like. This technique is easy but very effective. Scroll down for the recipe and method...
The Recipe:
Makes: Roughly 12 depending on the size and shape you go for, I often double the mixture to make bigger batches.
Ingredients
- 75g or 3oz - Butter
- 50g or 2oz - Icing Sugar
- 1- Egg Yolk
- 175g or 6oz - Plain Flour
- A Pinch of Salt
To Decorate
- 2 -Egg Yolks
- Red and Green Food Gels
Method
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar together until pale and fluffy. Tip: If you like you can also add the finely grated rind of 1 small lemon for added flavour.
- Beat in the egg yolk and then sift in the flour and the salt. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
- Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Tip: Use a rolling pin that has guide rings to ensure the dough is evenly rolled out.
- Now cut out your biscuits and transfer to baking trays lined with baking paper. Repeat until you've used all the dough.
- Make the impression on the tops using the holly cutter and piping nozzle for the berries. It's not necessary but sometimes it helps to chill the biscuits for 10 minutes next.
- Meanwhile, prepare the colouring by putting each egg yolk into a small cup or dish. Mix a colour into each egg yolk.
- Using a small clean paintbrush, carefully paint the colours onto the biscuits.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to colour around the edges.
Tip: The original recipe for these state 10-12 minutes but I find biscuits bake and can burn quickly! So depending on how hot your oven is, check on them around the 7-minute mark, and then keep an eye on them from there. - Leave to cool on the baking trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
And that's it. Enjoy!
Fully dusted in icing sugar this spruced-up vanilla cake recipe is definitely a show stopper! As impressive as it looks it's more down to the tin used than any masterful baking skill. The recipe is from Nigellas Christmas book and you can also find it in on her website. I’ve made a number of recipes from this book over the years and I’d highly recommend it. This cake is made with natural yogurt making it nice and light. Perfect for when you’ve already overindulged!
The tin used is expensive there's no denying it. It's the pine forest bundt tin from Nordic Ware, they create the most amazing high-quality baking tins that last for years. You can find a number of them on places like Amazon and even eBay. Although pricey they are worth the splurge for special occasions. Of course, you can just use a normal 2.5-litre bundt tin.
So without further ado here's the recipe:
Makes: about 12 slices
Ingredients
- 225g - Soft Butter (plus more for greasing)
- 300g - Caster Sugar
- 6 - Free Range Large Eggs
- 350g - Plain Flour
- ½ tsp - Bicarbonate of Soda
- 250g - Plain fat-free yoghurt
- 4 tsp - Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp - Icing Sugar
To turn this into Spruced-Up Spice Cake halve the vanilla and add 2 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon and ginger and a half teaspoon of ground cloves.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF and put a baking sheet in at the same time. Butter or oil your large, regular or fir-tree shaped bundt tin (2.5 litres capacity / 2½ quart capacity) very, very thoroughly. Tip: I prefer to melt a little butter and use a pastry brush to ensure all crevices are greased.
- Either by hand or in a freestanding mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking each one in with a tablespoon of flour.
- Fold in the rest of the flour, and add the bicarbonate of soda, the yogurt and vanilla extract. Don't overbeat or the cake will rise too much, giving an overly-domed bottom later - though it's not the end of the world, as you can always trim it if necessary.
- Pour and spoon the mixture into your greased tin and spread about evenly.
- Place the tin on the preheated baking sheet in the oven and cook for 45–60 minutes until well risen and golden. After 45 minutes, push a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Let it sit out of the oven for 15 minutes.
- Gently pull away from the edges of the cake from the tin with your fingers, then turn out the cake, hoping for the best.
- Once cool, dust with the icing sugar pushed through a small sieve, to decorate.
Enjoy!
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Make the cake, turn out and leave to cool. Wrap in clingfilm and foil and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
FREEZE AHEAD TIP: Make, wrap and freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in a cool room.
FREEZE AHEAD TIP: Make, wrap and freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in a cool room.
Time for a little throwback! I've been so busy the last few months that I never got around to posting about this Christmas wreath making workshop I ran. This was part of the Hobbycraft 12 makes of Christmas workshops, which allowed customers to have a go at a range of Christmas crafts during the lead up to the holidays.
Having made many wreaths in the past I was asked to run the Christmas wreath making workshop back in November and I have to say it was brilliant and a lot of fun!
These workshops include all sorts from advent making, fillable decorations, Christmas eve boxes, cracker making and many more. Hobbycraft have run these Christmas workshops for a few years now and are well worth checking out. This particular workshop cost £15, which I have to say was an absolute bargain when you take into account the number of materials they each used to build up their wreaths.
The table was filled with a whole range of floral picks, pine cones, dried oranges, floristry wire and much more.
After running through the basics of wreath making I let the groups loose to create their own wreaths in whatever way they liked.
It was so interesting to see what the favourite themes were. Many seemed to love creating a neutral modern frosty winter wonderland look. But the traditional red was also a big favourite.
Both groups absolutely loved the workshop and were thrilled with what they had created. I think they were all a little surprised at how easy it is to make something so stunning that can be used year after year. I have to say I too felt rather inspired by what they had all created afterwards!
The photos you see here are only a small sample, in total 20 wreaths were made!
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