6 oz Plain flour
1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda
1 ts Ground mixed spice
2 oz Butter, chilled and cubed
3 oz Soft light brown sugar
2 tb Golden syrup, heated
1 Egg, beaten
Plain flour for dusting
DECORATION
9 oz Packet coloured fondant
Icing
Glace icing made with 2oz
Icing sugar & 2 tspn water
Icing sugar for rolling
Silver balls, sweets,
Desiccated coconut, gold
Thread
Preheat oven to 190’C (375’F). Grease two baking sheets. Sift the
flour, bicarbonate of soda and spice into a bowl. Rub the butter into
the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the
sugar. Add the golden syrup and egg and mix to form a dough. Gently
knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth, the roll out to
1/4 inch thick. Use christmas cutters to cut out 16 shapes. Lift
shapes on to baking sheets and bake until just firm to the touch.
Make a hole large enough for gold thread at the top of each biscuit.
Transfer to cooling rack and leave until cold. To decorate, roll out
fondant icing on a clean surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut out
shapes with cutters and place on biscuits, securing them with a
little water. Make a hole for thread as before. Decorate with piped
glace icing, silver balls, sweets or coconut. Thread each biscuit
with gold thread and hang on Christmas tree, if liked.
Yields
16 Servings