Tree decorations
| Published: 11th December 2007 09:54 |
My children love to make these pretty decorations, but I fear not all of them make it to the tree.
Servings: Makes 15-20 Biscuits
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Ingredients
350g plain flour
100g Butter
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
175g soft brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp golden syrup
Packet of boiled sweets
To decorate
20g Icing sugar
A little water
Sprinkles
Ribbon
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/gas mark 5. Lightly grease two baking sheets with butter.
2. Place the flour and butter into the mixing bowl and measure out the spices and bicarbonate of soda and add to the bowl.
3. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until it is like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar to this mixture.
4. Break the egg into a small bowl add the syrup and beat well with a fork. Mix the flour and egg mixture together by hand until it comes together to form a soft dough.
5. Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean work surface, put the dough onto it.
6. 'Knead' the dough - squeeze the dough together, until it becomes smooth.
7. When the dough is smooth, sprinkle a little more flour onto the surface, split the dough into two balls and roll out one ball of the dough until it is approx 5mm in thickness.
8. Cut out lots of biscuits with the cookie cutters and carefully place each biscuit onto the greased baking tray. Use the straw to punch out a hole in the top for the string to go through to hang on the tree then use the small cutter and cut shapes out of the middle of the biscuit.
9. Carefully lift out the dough with the palette knife and place a sweet in the centre.
10. Place the biscuits in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove them and re-pierce the hole in the top and let them cool on the tray until they are quite cold, then transfer them to the wire rack.
15. Use a little icing sugar mixed with water, silver balls and glitter sprinkles to decorate. Allow to dry.
16. Carefully thread lengths of ribbon through the small hole in the top and tie with a bow or knot ready to hang on the Christmas tree.
By Emma Allsopp
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