PROUDLY HOMEMADE

ICED GINGERBREAD BISCUITS

Delicious decorations that smell pretty good, too

Makes 20

175g dark muscovado sugar 85g golden syrup

100g butter

350g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

Ready-to-use royal icing

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. In a medium saucepan, melt the sugar, syrup and butter. Once melted, let it bubble for 1-2 mins, before removing from the heat.

Leave to cool for around 10 mins.

Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large bowl. Add the egg along with the cooled sugar and butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 mins. Meanwhile, line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment.

Once the dough has chilled, allow it to come back to room temperature before rolling out to approximately 5mm thick on a lightly-floured surface. Cut out as many shapes as you can, then, using the end of a paper straw, make a small hole at the top of each biscuit for hanging. Continue rolling and cutting until all the dough has been used.

Carefully transfer the biscuits to the lined baking trays, leaving a little space between each one. Bake for 12 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to firm before transferring to a cooling rack. If the hole that you made has closed up a little, use a skewer whilst the biscuit is still warm to open it up again.

When completely cool, decorate with royal icing using a piping bag and a small round nozzle. Once the icing has hardened, thread your choice of ribbon through the hole and hang on the tree.

STAINED GLASS ORANGE AND CINNAMON BISCUITS

Almost too pretty to eat (though once you have a nibble, you may need to bake more for the tree...)

Makes 15

100g butter, cold and cubed

180g plain flour

50g caster sugar

Zest of ½ an orange or 1 clementine or satsuma

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp milk

Coloured boiled sweets

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. In a bowl, rub the butter, flour, sugar, zest and cinnamon together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and bring together to form a dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment and crush the boiled sweets, keeping the different colours separate. To crush the sweets, place in a small freezer bag, seal and bash with a rolling pin.

Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly-floured surface so that it’s approx 5mm thick. Cut out as many shapes as you can using a biscuit cutter and then cut a smaller shape out from the middle of each biscuit. Finally, using the end of a straw, make a small hole at the top of each biscuit for hanging. Continue with the rolling and cutting until all the dough has been used.

Carefully transfer the biscuits to the baking sheets, leaving a little space between each one. Fill the centre holes of each biscuit with the crushed sweets, taking care not to overfill.

Bake for 12 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to firm before transferring to a cooling rack. If the hanging hole has closed up a little, use a skewer while the biscuit is still warm to open it up again.

Once completely cool, thread your choice of ribbon through the hole and hang on the tree.