Monday 10th December 2018
I know I have been a little absent, and I did mean to get this up last week, but I was ill so it didn’t really happen. Especially as I practically slept for 2 days straight, and even then I was kinda out of it for the rest of the week.
However, I’m back, and now it’s time to step into Christmas!
The Christmas tunes have started as well as the Christmas baking, and I have a few ideas for Christmas treats that I’m planning on sharing over the next couple of weeks before the big day. It’s 15 days until Christmas and I am very excited!
We decorated the flat a little back in November, and now with the baking, we are really getting into the Christmas spirit. Which is a good thing as I finish lectures on the 21st so this is probably the only thing that is going to get me through until next Friday.
To start with, the first Christmas bake of the year, we have slice and bake Christmas shortbread!
It’s honestly so good! I have eaten so much of it and it goes really well with hot chocolate, which I have also been drinking a lot of recently, so right now I am an extremely happy bunny!
One of my favourite things about these biscuits is that you can have a little stash of the dough in your fridge which you can cook up when you’re craving some. I mean, freshly baked biscuits to hand, whenever I want, err who doesn’t want that? And once you have made the biscuit dough, it’s 3 easy steps
- Slice them
- Bake them
- Eat them
It really couldn’t get any simpler than that. Also, it means that I can’t eat a whole batch of them, or even half a batch of them at once. Like I did with gingerbread yesterday.
I don’t have any regrets though, they were good gingerbread angels.
I mean, I’ll probably eat the rest of them later… it’s a good thing I’m not on a diet
These shortbread rounds would be excellent presents, just pop some a cellophane bag and tie it up with some ribbon, and boom, easy Christmas present for all your friends! Alternatively you can make up a big batch of them to have for when friends come over, or to just have them so you can eat them whilst in your pjs, wrapped in a blanket, watching Christmas films.
Makes 12-15
Ingredients:
75g Sugar
150g Butter
225g Plain Flour
1tsp Mixed Spice
1tsp Cinnamon
1Tbsp Milk
Optional
100g White Chocolate
Method:
- Beat the butter and the sugar together until pale and creamy
- Mix in the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon into the butter mixture, until it starts to come together. Add the tablespoon of milk to help bring the shortbread dough together (it’s okay if it’s still slightly crumbly)
- Place the mixture onto some clingfilm and roll it up so that it is a large sausage. Place the biscuit dough in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Whilst the biscuit dough is in the freezer, preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/Gas Mark 3.
- Take the biscuit dough out of the freezer and then slice it into 1cm thick slices (you can cut up some of the dough to bake and then put the rest of it back into the fridge to bake later, or you can bake it all at once).
- Bake the shortbread rounds for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- At this point, melt some white chocolate and then dip the biscuits into the chocolate, allowing them to set before eating.
These biscuits keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container
