Once December comes around, a whole host of tempting festive treats start appearing. We believe that the best ones are the ones you make yourself – it’s not all about the eating!
Following their recent foray into the kitchen, Nanny Pat and Megan have been baking again. This time, they decided to make Christmas biscuits to hang on the tree. After all, what could be better than personal, edible Christmas decorations?
Megan loved stiring the mixture in the bowl and using the biscuit cutters to create different shaped biscuits.
After putting the biscuits onto the tray, Nanny Pat popped them in the oven. The next part was the hardest: waiting. But a delicious smell soon started to fill the house as the biscuits began bake.
Megs was delighted when it was time to take them out of the oven and she could see them again, this time golden brown. While the biscuits cooled, Megan and Nanny Pat planned how they were going to ice them to finish them off.
Wilf was equally pleased when Nanny Pat and Megan picked him up from school and brought a few samples with them.
If you’d like to have a go at making Nanny Pat’s Christmas biscuits, here’s what you’ll need.
We’d love to hear how you get on if you decide to have a go – why not send us a picture?
Nanny Pat’s Christmas biscuits (makes 20-30 biscuits)
90g Demerara sugar
200g golden syrup
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
115g butter cut into pieces
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 beaten egg
500g plain flour sifted
Decorate with piped icing and silver balls
1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Put sugar, syrup and spices into heavy pan and bring to boil over low heat, stirring. Once boiled remove from heat.
3. Put butter in large heatproof bowl and pour sugar and syrup mixture over. Add bicarbonate and stir well until butter has melted. Beat egg into mix, then stir in flour. Mix thoroughly and knead to form smooth dough.
4. Divide into 4 pieces and wrap 3 in cling film to prevent dough drying out. Roll one piece to thickness of 3mm and stamp out festive shapes. Use a skewer to make a small hole in top of each one for threading ribbon through if destined for decorations.
5. Place on baking sheets using a fish slice to keep whole. Bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
To decorate mix 1 egg white with a fork and add icing sugar to piping constituency and pipe onto cool biscuits or use bought ready to pipe icing tubes.
Happy baking!
