Cookies for christmas

Cookies for Christmas.

Create a little magic with time honoured tradition, cookies of all shapes with warming spices, sugar toppings and sprinkles always go down well. Here are a couple of simple recipes, with a little help from some cutters to magic up your table this year.
Clear a shelf in your fridge for chilling down the dough’s where necessary.
Pre-heat your oven to 150°C - 160°C.


Basic biscuit mix.
Recipe 
150g softened butter
100g caster sugar
250g Self-raising flour
Method
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until white then stir in the flour, mix well and form in to a ball.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a flat work surface place the ball of dough onto this press into a flattened rectangular shape place another sheet of parchment on top and roll with a rolling pin until 3mm thick, place on a tray and place in the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill. Once chilled remove the dough and cut into required shapes. Transfer on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, re roll the excess dough and repeat the process.
Bake for 8-12mins depending on the size of your shapes.
To make flavoured biscuits simply divide the dough once made into 3 Add ½ teaspoon ginger to one lot for ginger biscuits, add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder  for chocolate biscuits to another lot, either leave the last lot plain or add some lemon or orange zest.


Short bread biscuits
Recipe
125g Soft butter
55g Icing sugar
180g Plain flour
Method
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until, stir in the flour and knead lightly forming into a ball.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a flat work surface place the ball of dough onto this press into a flattened rectangular shape place another sheet of parchment on top and roll with a rolling pin until 3mm thick, place on a tray and place in the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill. Once chilled remove the dough and cut into required shapes. Transfer on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, re roll the excess dough and repeat the process.
Bake for 8-12mins at 150°c depending on the size of your shapes.



Viennese Whirls
It’s traditional to pipe these, using  piping bag and a large star nozzle, don’t stress about it if you don’t have these, you can spoon some on to the baking sheet instead. We don’t chill this dough before baking and keep it soft as it is a slightly stiff mix and hard enough to pipe.
Recipe 
125g Softened Butter
25g Caster sugar
125g Plain flour
25g Corn-flour/starch
Method
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until white light and fluffy then stir in the flour and corn-flour, mixing until the flour is well incorporated.  Transfer to your piping bag or spoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, chose your style and or toppings and bake at 150°c for 15-20 mins.
To pipe there’s three traditional shapes, finger length, star or nest. 
They are usually ½ dipped in melted chocolate when cooled.
You can however top them with dried or glacé fruit pieces or nuts before baking. Use whatever you have handy

Decorations for your biscuits.
Water icing, 2 tablespoons Icing sugar and  1/2 tbspn hot water mixed until smooth, spoon a little onto your chosen biscuits either use some shop bought sprinkles or make some of your own, allow time for drying.
Orange or lemon sugar, the zest of 1 orange or lemon with 55g caster sugar dried in the oven at 50°c, about 35-40mins is usually enough.
Fruit sugar, Use a tablespoon of strained juice from freshly pressed berries to 55g caster sugar  mix well and dry in the oven  at 50°c.
Cinnamon and Espresso sugar, just add a pinch of cinnamon and a tablespoon of espresso or diluted coffee granules to 55g caster sugar and dry in the oven at 50°c.