Helen RandellChristmas baking
December 26th 2011 22:41
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely time with loved ones, enjoying the fun of a few days off.
We certainly had a nice time here at Casa de Rough Cooking. All the smells of Christmas were floating around my kitchen on the weekend -cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice – and perhaps a bit of brandy as well
I made these brown sugar spice biscuits to giveaway as gifts, and after I had made one batch, I went back and made another. They are very easy to make, and have a great texture which is hard on the outside, but very quickly gives way to a soft, chewy centre. Like many biscuits around, these ones do harden up as they cool, so don’t expect them to come out of the oven hard.
I also find that the creamy, buttery taste, gives you enough satisfaction from just one biscuit, rather than ‘needing’ three or four to satisfy that craving. The original recipe was featured in Donna Hay, December/January edition, but I have changed a few of the quantities. To begin with, you don’t need anywhere near the two cups of icing sugar recommended to coat 36 biscuits. I have made 98 of these babies and still have some powder left over. I’d recommend about ¾ cup of icing sugar and about 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
The best thing about making these is the smell that permeates your house. It is just fantastic! And, some of you may note that there is no brandy in the original recipe, but that there was some in my kitchen… well, I promise it was to feed my Christmas cake, not just to aid in the merriment!
Spiced Brown Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
335g plain flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
120g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the icing sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside.
Place the flour, ginger, remaining cinnamon, allspice, cloes, nutmeg and baking soda in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in an electric mixer and beat for 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the spiced flour mixture and beat until just combined. Roll 1 tablespoon full of mixture into balls and place on a baking tray lined with paper, leaving room to spread. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden and slightly cracked. Place on a wire rack and cook for 10 minutes. Place the biscuits in the icing sugar mixture and toss lightly to coat. Return to the wire rack and allow to cool completed. Makes 36.
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I am trying to motivate myself to sit down and put up all my Xmas baking stuff - did the coolest Fruit Mince Tarts thanks to Jamie Oliver.
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too! Have a great night!