less than 30 mins
10 to 30 mins
Makes 36 biscuits
These Christmas biscuits make perfect presents and they can also be made into Christmas tree decorations.
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar
- 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 275g/10oz plain flour
- To decorate
- 400g/14oz icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp water
- 2-3 drops food colourings
- Edible glitter
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale, light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little at a time, until well combined.
- Stir in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1cm/½in.
- Using biscuit cutters or a glass, cut biscuits out of the dough and carefully place onto the baking tray. To make into Christmas tree decorations, carefully make a hole in the top of the biscuit using a straw.
- Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to harden for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
- For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to create a smooth mixture. Stir in the food colouring.
- Carefully spread the icing onto the biscuits using a knife and sprinkle over the glitter. Set aside until the icing hardens.
To make honey biscuits, swap the caster sugar for 70g/2½oz honey and 30g/1oz caster sugar. Increase the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons. Cook at 180C/Fan 160/Gas 4. Pipe on Christmas shapes with 40g/1½oz melted white chocolate instead of using icing.
For reduced sugar biscuits, use 60g/2½oz soft brown muscovado sugar instead of 100g/3½oz caster sugar. Increase the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons. Add 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp finely chopped candied peel with the flour. Decorate with halved blanched almonds instead of icing.
