Spice biscuits

These traditional biscuits are a favourite and we bake them at Christmas time every year, mainly because that is the only time we bake biscuits. You can ice them for a festive look, or, dip  them in chocolate and decorate with sprinkles. (The gold candy cane shaped biscuits in the photo were dipped in white chocolate and dusted with gold edible powder.) If you don't want to ice them, then sprinkle on sugar crystals - coloured ones, if you can get them, look very pretty - before baking them.

3 cups flour

1½ cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon and ground ginger each
2 teaspoons mixed spice
½ teaspoon nutmeg and cloves each
125g butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated rind of an orange

Method

1. Prepare3 baking trays - line with baking paper. (No greasing necessary.)
2. Preheat oven to 200° C.
3. Mix the dry ingredients.
4. Rub in the butter.
5. Whisk the eggs, vanilla and orange rind together and mix into the flour mixture to make a soft dough.  Add a little milk if necessary.
6. Roll pieces of the dough out on a floured surface to about 3mm thickness. Cut out shapes and place on the prepared baking trays
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until light brown.

This is a softer biscuit, but if you like it more crisp, roll the dough out thinner or bake for longer. Be careful though not to burn them.

Coconut biscuits

A traditional favourite my mother used to bake at Christmas.

Coconut biscuits

300 ml sugar

250g butter

2 eggs
1 cup desiccated coconut
3½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

3½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

Red glacé cherries

1. Put butter in sun to soften - do not melt it because it will change the texture of your biscuits. Take eggs out to bring to room temperature. 
2. Cut cherries into eight pieces each - I use about half a packet. 
3. Prepare the baking sheets. 
4. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. 
5. Beat in the eggs. 
6. Mix in the coconut. 
7. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and make into a fairly stiff dough. 
8. Set the oven to 200° C on the bake function - not fan bake. 
9. Put dough into cookie press and fill the baking sheet. (One press gives a small biscuit which is ideal around Christmas time when you only want small snacks with all the delightful temptations around. Two presses gives a bigger biscuit with a softer texture, which is the way I like it.) Put a piece of glacé cherry in the middle of each biscuit. 
10. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges are a light golden brown. 
11. While the first batch is baking, prepare the next batch so when you take the biscuits out of the oven the next batch is ready for baking. 
12. Leave biscuits to cool a bit before placing them onto a cooling rack. 

This quantity of dough makes about 3½ baking sheets if you make the smaller biscuits.