It’s less than a month to Christmas, and I hope our readers are not overwhelmed with the stresses of the season.
I love the season of Christmas, as friends and family get together. Coming from an Italian background, Christmas lunch is a feast, a celebration of the joy of family. When I think of Christmas, I think of friends, family and good food.
While in Australia we celebrate in summer, I still enjoy the baked fare of the northern hemisphere, the deep rich flavours of vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, all spice and of course ginger.
If you are looking for an easy and basic biscuit recipe look no further. These are versatile the ginger can be substituted for any spice or vanilla or even a combination. I was making these for colleagues, so used only a subtle hint of ginger appreciating not everyone craved the strong heat of ginger I love so much.
This is a great dough to work with – it’s light and forgiving. Making sure you leave the dough until the fridge is key – however if in a warm kitchen (as I am in Melbourne now) I even place the tray of cut biscuits in the fridge for 10 or so minutes for the butter to harden again.
Keep an eye on the cooking, they do harden on cooking, so you want to make sure you take them out as the edges start to glow with a golden colour. You can decorate with gold glitter if you have it, otherwise they taste delicious as they are.
These keep well in an airtight container, or can be frozen so are perfect if you are looking for an edible gift this would be perfect!
So put on some Christmas music, turn on the oven and just escape to the world of your kitchen for an hour or so.
Golden Ginger Biscuits
Makes: 48 small stars
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 30-45 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes
Storage: Up to 7 days, stored in an airtight container. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
90g soft butter
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon spice of vanilla (I used ginger)
200g plain flour, plus more for sprinkling
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
Optional
Edible Gold glitter or edible gold flakes.
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together, until they are pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg for at least 2 minutes before adding the spice/vanilla and the remaining dry ingredients.
4. Split the dough into 2 even discs, cover with clingfilm/glad wrap and rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
5. Sprinkle your work bench with dough, and moving quickly roll the dough to a thickness of 5mm. Cut out using your preferred shapes.
5. Transfer the shapes to the baking tray and bake for 8-12 minutes until the edges turn golden. Remember they will harden as the cool.
6. Remove from oven and dusk or paint with the edible gold dust or edible glitter flakes.
7. Enjoy!
A Tale of Two Kitchens 
You really make it seem really easy together with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be really something that I feel I’d never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and very extensive for me. I am having a look forward to your next publish, I’ll try to get the hang of it!