FESTIVE BAKES
Get creative and fill up the biscuit tin for the holidays with these fun, simple-to-make sweet treats
Simple and pretty sweet treats
MAKES about 12-14 PREP 25 mins plus 1 hr chilling and drying COOK 12 mins EASY V
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g cocoa powder 150g butter, softened 130g caster sugar
75g light brown soft sugar 1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
For the icing about 200g icing sugar about 3 tbsp milk
To decorate about 5 cranberries
2-3 slices of dried mango
You will need
6cm, 5cm and 3.5cm round cutters
1 Mix the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Beat the butter with the sugars in another bowl for about 3 mins until pale and creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, and bring together with your hands. Wrap the dough and leave to chill in the fridge for 1 hr.
2 Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ gas 3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 4mm, and press out circles in three sizes. Place them, sorted by size, on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake the smallest cookies for 6-8 mins and the remainder for about 10-12 mins. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 Tip the icing sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth and thick. Coat the tops of the biscuits with it using a small knife, then stack three of each biscuit, starting with the largest. Cut the cranberries into small pieces and stick to the snowmen as eyes, mouths and buttons. Cut the strips of mango into the shape of mini carrots, and place them on the faces as noses. Leave to dry. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
PER SNOWMAN (14) 281 kcals • fat 10g • saturates 6g • carbs 43g • sugars 29g • fibre 1g • protein 3g • salt 0.2g