Christmas Treats

So the weather outside has been pretty frightful these past few days and it looks as if we are in for a wet Christmas, but what better excuse to warm up by the oven to create some delicious Christmas goodies.

One of my all time favourite things do during Christmas is to whip up a range of delicious cookies of various textures and flavours from all around the world. One of the staples in my household during the silly season is gingerbread, which is not only easy to make, but can be used for so many different things; even as part of the decorations on the tree.

The dough couldn’t be easier to make. Simply heat ¼ cup golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat with 125g butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tbsp ground ginger, 1tbp ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves, stirring till combined and fragrant.

Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add one cup of plain flour and mix. Then add one egg, followed by another cup of flour and mix in with your hands till a smooth dough forms; adding more flour if necessary. Wrap the dough in Clingfilm and allow to chill before use. Then simply roll out till 3mm thick, cut with cutters of your choice and bake at 180oC for ten to fifteen minutes till golden-brown.

This magical mix can be used to make the most scrumptious of cookies simply by rolling it out till 2mm thick and then cutting shapes with cutters. If you poke small holes through each shape before baking, the cookies can be used as tree decorations by threading twine through and hanging from a tree (but do this on the day that you plan to eat them).

Icing is a breeze. It’s Christmas after all so pick up a packet of instant royal icing, add a small amount of water to reach a spreadable consistency. Or if you have the time (and patience) you can make your own by beating one egg white in an electric mixer and slowly adding 1 to 1 ½ cups icing sugar little by little to produce a thick, spreadable paste.

And with a range of food colourings and sprinkles on hand, just use your imagination to create wonderful treats.

Happy Baking!

Brendon D’Souza a.k.a. The Smiling Chef