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| Get creative! |
So this recipe is not mine, I got it from a free recipe booklet I picked up in Alsace on a French holiday some years ago. You'll be pleased to know that the recommended wine to accompany these little sweet treats is the 'Gewurztraminer', I think the one we had was by Moser, and it was so delicious! Fragrant, with hints of cloves and cinnamon, and a somewhat bitter finish - but my goodness, trust me you could easily drink too much of it. You can purchase a similar one from Waitrose Cellar for £11.99
There is one thing I have to say for this recipe, you need to be careful with the eggs - the recipe calls for 3 eggs, I used 3 large eggs and this made the dough very sticky, almost to the point of being more cake than dough. So, follow the recipe with the thought that you'll need to adjust the dry and wet ingredient ratio to form a dough. I also added in more spices and some candied orange peel as the first batch was rather bland. It is HIGHLY recommended that you leave the dough in the fridge for 1-2 days for the flavours to develop. The original recipe states 12 hours resting, but I found even this didn't do it much justice.
Right-oh, oh, lets get baking...
Ingredients
- 200g flour +extra for dusting or if dough is too sticky
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g butter (Trex nondairy shortening) - cut into small pieces and softened
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 egg yolk for glazing
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon candied orange peel
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spices
Preparation
1. Put the flour in a clean mixing bowl and make a depression in the centre, add the butter and using the
rubbing in technique to make the mixture look like breadcrumbs. As shown by the lovely Lesley Waters for BBCGoodFood.
2. Add the other ingredients, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well to obtain a firm dough. If the dough is too sticky and doesn't come together add more flour till you get a nice firm, smooth dough.
3. Cover and leave in a cool place for 12 hours minimum.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, to a thickness of .5cm, cut out biscuit shapes.
5. Place on a lined baking tray and glaze with the egg yolk.
6. Bake for 15 minutes in a medium oven 160 degrees (350 F). Turn the tray around halfway through baking, for even baking and more uniform colour.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool, eat with gusto or get some color therapy, by icing them in pretty Christmas colours.
#TIP: these would be great for a mom/ dad and me handmade xmas gift!
Till next time, EAT mindfully, DRINK responsibly, and EXERCISE your mind and body!!!
Alicia
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Labels: Christmas, D.I.Y, dairy free, Festive, Recipe List, Sweet Treats, Vegetarian
