With the first day of December tomorrow, I've been feeling a little festive. Not so much that I might get carried away and go shopping; just enough to make some spicy, indulgent little cookies for tomorrow's work meeting.
This recipe is based on a coffee biscuit my mother often makes. I've just added some Christmas spice in the form of a little cinnamon. Nothing like a little treat to sweeten up a Monday morning.
Coffee, Walnut and Cinnamon Creams
140g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons very strong espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 extra beaten egg for glazing
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, at room temperature, and beat until well combined.
Next add the coffee and vanilla essence.
Fold in the sifted flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
Wrap the mixture in plastic baking film and chill for about 20 minutes.
Once chilled, preheat the oven to 180deg. C.
Take from the fridge and place between two sheets of plastic wrap.
Roll out until the mixture is about half a centimetre thick.
Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then using a cookie cutter, stamp out a row of biscuits.
Transfer them to a lined tray by removing the surrounding mixture, then lifting the bottom layer of plastic and peeling off the biscuit shapes before placing them onto the waiting tray.
Gather up all the scraps and re-roll and repeat the biscuit cutting until all the mixture is used.
Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the uncooked biscuits with the extra beaten egg.
Sprinkle on the chopped walnuts and bake for 10 minutes.
While the biscuits are baking prepare the filling:
Beat together 120g butter, 1 cup icing sugar, 3 tablespoons very strong espresso, and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
Set aside until the biscuits are completely cooled.
Place a teaspoon of filling onto half the biscuits and sandwich them together into pairs.
The recipe makes about 24 depending on the size of the cutter.
Time to start humming those Christmas Carols....
We have made it a tradition in our house for Little Miss 3 to give a home-made gift to Santa when she visits him at Ballantynes. Last year it was Christmas Mince Pies; this year we made simple Christmas Biscuits. These are actually just a basic Chocolate Chip Biscuit that has had a Christmas makeover. The simple recipe makes it perfect for little people to help make and they can be whipped up in no time at all. Any type of dried fruit can be added, so you can use whatever is in the pantry.
Christmas Biscuits for Santa
100g butter
75g caster sugar
150g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 and a half cups assorted dried fruits and nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Turn the oven on to 175deg. C
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy
Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder.
Add the lightly chopped dried fruit and chocolate chips: we used cranberries, glace ginger, slivered almonds, and glace cherries.
Place spoon fulls onto a baking paper lined tray.
Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes.
Allow to cool on the tray.
We packaged ours in a cellophane bag with a cheerful ribbon. Little Miss 3 had found a little Christmas carry bag and wanted to fill it with treats for Santa, so we went out to the garden and picked him a pot of raspberries "to have for his pudding after he has been busy seeing the children." She was so proud of her "love parcel" for Santa.
Our Ballantynes Santa was quite surprised to be given a parcel by a little girl, and Little Miss 3 was over the moon when he thanked her very much. Happy child, happy Santa, what more could you wish for at this time of year.
