There is something special about time spent in the kitchen baking with your family in the lead up to Christmas. One of my favorite things to whip up with the kids are Christmas Cookies. We make them as gifts for teachers, friends and family, we take some to Santa, we have them as snacks and we enjoy making memories together each year.
Our favorite 5 cookies to make at Christmas are:
Stain-glass cookies
Ingredients:
– 300g boiled sugar lollies
– 200gbutter (at room temperature)
– 1/3cup caster sugar
– 1/3cup golden syrup
– 2cups plain flour
– 1teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Method:
- 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 5 oven trays with baking paper.
- 2. Separate lollies into colors.
- 3. Place the different colors into separate plastic bags. Place a tea towel over the lollies. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to hit the lollies until the lollies are finely crushed.
- 4. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste and golden syrup together until pale and creamy.
- 5. Add the flour and stir with a round- bladed knife in a cutting motion until the dough comes together.
- 6. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- 7. Roll dough portion out on a floured surface to a 4mm-thick disc.
- 8. Use a star-shaped biscuit cutter to cut stars from the dough. Place 6 biscuits on 1 lined tray. Use a smaller star-shaped cutter to cut the centre out from each biscuit.
- 9. Bake for 4-5 minutes. Spread the crushed lollies into the star-shaped hole in each biscuit.
10. Bake for a further 4-5 minutes or until biscuits are golden and lollies have melted. Set aside on tray to cool.
Spiced Christmas Cookies
Ingredients:
– 1 cup plain flour
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
– 75g unsalted butter, chopped
– 1/4 cup golden syrup
– White chocolate, for decorating
Method:
- 1. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
- 2. Sift flour, sugar and spices into a large bowl.
- 3. Using fingertips, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- 4. Add golden syrup and mix to form a soft dough
- 5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 mins until dough is smooth.
- 6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 mins.
- 7. Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan-forced.
- 8. Roll dough on a slightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes from dough.
- 9. Place on prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Chill for 10 mins.
- 10. Bake for 10 mins until pale golden. Cool on trays. Store in an airtight container.
- 11. Decorate with melted white chocolate (I usually pipe the chocolate on top to make a pattern)
Shortbread
Ingredients:
– Melted butter, to grease
– 1 1/2 cups – plain flour
– 2/3 cup – rice flour
– 1/2 cup Caster Sugar
– Pinch of salt
– 225g cold butter, coarsely chopped
– Plain flour, extra, to dust
– Melted white chocolate, to decorate
Method:
- 1. Preheat oven to 150C.
- 2. Brush 2 large baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
- 3. Combine the flour, rice flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.5. Roll dough out until 1cm thick.
- 6. Use a Christmas shaped pastry cutter to cut shapes from dough.
- 7. Place on prepared trays. Bake in oven for 45 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until shortbreads start to change colour.
- 8. Cool on trays for 1 hour.
- 9. Drizzle with chocolate to decorate.
Jam Fancies
Ingredients:
– 200g butter, chopped, at room temperature
– 1/2 cup caster sugar
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 2/3 cups plain flour
– 1/4 cup Strawberry Jam
Method:
- 1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
- 2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy.
- 3. Sift half the flour over the butter mixture. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting action to stir until just combined. Add the remaining flour and stir until it forms moist clumps. Gather the dough together and turn onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper.
- 4. Divide the dough in half. Roll one portion between two sheets of baking paper to form a 5mm-thick disc.
- 5. Use a 5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut out 18 discs. Place pastry discs on 1 lined tray. Use a fork to lightly prick.
- 6. Roll out the remaining dough and use a 5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut out 18 discs. Use a 2cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut a small hole in the center of each disc. Place discs with holes on the remaining lined tray.
- 7. Bake biscuits in oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
- 8. Set aside on the trays to cool.
- 9. Spread each whole biscuit evenly with jam. Sandwich together with the remaining biscuits (with the cut out) and serve.
Choc Chip Cookies – Santa’s favorite!
Ingredients:
– 125g butter, softened
– 1/2 cup caster sugar
– 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 Egg
– 1 cup plain flour
– 1/2 cup self-raising flour
– 1/4 cup cocoa powder
– 100g white chocolate, chopped
– 100g dark chocolate, chopped
Method:
- 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- 2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and combined sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
- 3. Add the egg and beat until well combined.
- 4. Add the combined flour and cocoa powder. Stir until combined.
- 5. Add the white chocolate and dark chocolate and stir to combine.
- 6. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and arrange on the lined trays, allowing room for spreading.
- 7. Bake, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 12-15 mins or until golden brown.
Do you have a favourite Christmas Cookie recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!
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