Ready to add more to your festive table list? We’ve got just the thing. This week find out how to make these adorable Christmas biscuits for the kids (and the whole family) with Deborah – the most festive of all the snacks and sure to make everyone smile.
We’ve also made notes below, so you can bring this to life at home with an easy how-to guide. We’d love to see your centrepieces too, so please share what you make on social and tag us in #mymonsoon
Gingerbread decorations:
30g treacle
50g golden syrup
40g honey
200g soft brown sugar
200g unsalted butter
4 tsp ground ginger
1 stem ginger chopped finely
10g ginger syrup from the stem ginger jar (if you can’t get this simply add 10g more golden syrup)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
500g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk mixed with tsp milk or cream
For the royal icing:
250g icing sugar
1 egg white
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp water
Melt the sugar, syrup, butter and spices in a pan together. When melted take off the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. This will make the mixture froth up. Set aside and let it cool for around 15 minutes. Then either pour into a mixer or transfer to a bowl. Add the egg and beat. When combined add the flour and salt until the mixture turns into dough. Make sure not to over mix. The dough will not take long to combine. It will be very warm and sticky. Scoop it out and remove from the mixer. Spread onto a sheet of parchment or cling film. Place another sheet on top and place in the fridge for at least two hours to cool.
Remove from the fridge and roll out to 6cm and cut out your shapes using either a stencil or a cookie cutter. Make sure to leave enough room between each as they spread! Take a straw and press a hole out at the top, leaving enough room so you don’t break the edge. This will be for your ribbon to hang your ornaments from.
Bake at 180C/375F for 8 minutes
Remove from the oven. Check the holes are large enough to hang the ribbon through. If not, simply use the straw again. Brush the biscuits with the egg wash and place back in the over for 4 -5 more minutes to create a beautiful glaze effect. Then leave to cool before moving from the baking sheet as they come out soft and will harden when cooled.
Then it’s time to ice!
For iced biscuits, it’s important to use royal icing which contains egg white. This is because it hardens completely so your biscuits won’t end up sticking to each other.
Whisk the egg white, lemon juice and icing sugar together to form a smooth paste for 2-3 minutes. Then add drops of water at a time to create the perfect consistency for your line icing. The icing should have a soft peak but doesn’t spread.
You can keep your designs with just white or colour it with edible food gel colours. I use different shapes nozzles to pipe different designs. Snip the end of your piping bag and insert your nozzle, fill halfway with your mixture, then twist and knot the bag closed. Or you can also use a sandwich clip to seal off the bag. If you don’t have a nozzle, simply fill the icing bag, seal and then snip a small hole at the end to create your fine writing nozzle.
Remember to touch the base of your biscuit and slowly squeeze the icing, as I squeeze, I also lift the bag up and hover over where I want to ice. This allows the icing line to drop down onto the biscuit and won’t drag the icing. This will make for a cleaner and more confident icing edge.
Use pearls or glitter to add extra decoration if you wish and thread through a ribbon to hang from your tree or wrap around a serviette as a name place for Christmas lunch. Enjoy!
We’ve got more to come! Take a look at our dedicated events blog to complete your festive table here >
