Christmas shortbread

ingredients

• Christmas shortbread

  • 250 gram butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
  • 3 cup (450g) plain flour

• Icing

  • 1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • food colouring and silver cachous (optional)

method

• Christmas shortbread

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

  • 2

    Cream butter until pale. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Sift flour onto a flat surface and form a well in centre. Place butter mixture into well and knead ingredients to form a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

  • 3

    Halve mixture. Roll or press each piece, until 7mm thick. Cut into Christmas shapes. Arrange on prepared baking trays. Use a skewer to make a small hole near top of each biscuit.

  • 4

    Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Stand for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  • 5

    Make icing by beating icing sugar and water in a bowl until smooth. Tint with food colouring, if desired. Drizzle or pipe icing onto biscuits to decorate. Add silver cachous. Thread ribbon through hole.

notes

Try a small star cutter to make a festive ribbon hole.