Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Cooking WITHKAREN
Whip up a batch or two of these spicy Christmas cookies, pop them in gi boxes or bags, add ribbon and you have lovely li le take-home treats for your guests
GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Preparation time 15 mins plus 2 hours chilling Cooking time 25 mins Makes about 30
160g unsalted bu er
140g caster sugar
180g brown sugar 3 free-range eggs
2 Tbsp molasses
600g plain flour
1/ tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp mixed spice
2 Tbsp ground ginger 300g pure icing sugar, sied Juice of 1/ lemons Silver cachous, to decorate
STEP 1 Cream bu er and sugars in a food processor. Add eggs and molasses and process until combined. Add plain flour, baking powder and spices, and process until a smooth dough forms. Dough will be so and slightly sticky. Rest dough in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight. It needs to be chilled and firmish to roll.
STEP 2 Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Line an oven tray with baking paper. STEP 3 Halve the dough, and leave one half in the fridge. On a floured surface, roll out the other half to 1-1.5cm thick and cut out shapes using cookie cu ers (reroll scraps to use all the dough). Put shapes on prepared tray, leaving a couple of centimetres between each one, and bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. They will still be a li le so when they come out of the oven, so leave to cool on the tray. Repeat with remaining chilled dough.
STEP 4 To make icing, mix icing sugar and lemon juice until it reaches a thick, honey-like consistency – adjust with more sugar or juice if needed. STEP 5 Fit a piping bag with a small nozzle, or snip a small piece off the corner of a snap-lock bag. Fill with icing and decorate cooled cookies with pa erns and designs, decorating some with silver cachous. Or, loosen the icing further with lemon juice or water and dip cooled cookies into the icing. Leave iced cookies on a wire rack to set.