CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

 

                           

Here are several recipes for Christmas biscuits.

 

                                              SPICY CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

150 g (5 oz) butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar

2 pinches of salt

¾ cup petimezi (grape must syrup)

¾ cup sugar

1½ tsp ginger powder

1½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp cloves powder

2 tsp grated nutmeg

Zest of a medium-sized orange

1 large egg, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt 

3 ½ cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

 

Sift flour with baking powder and soda and set aside.  Melt the butter over low heat, remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, grape must syrup, orange zest and spices.  Mix well so that the sugar melts, remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

 

Add the egg with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients and stir with a spoon until a smooth but sticky dough is formed.

 

Divide the dough into two equal pieces and give them a rectangular shape, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour at least.  Preheat the oven to180 C  (350 F) and line to baking tins with baking parchment.

 

Roll out the dough thinly between two pieces of parchment and cut out Christmas shapes with a biscuit cutter, place in the prepared tin and bake for 10 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

 

When completely cold garnish with icing.

 

                                                               ICING

3 cups icing sugar

1/3 butter, softened

Vanilla

2 tbsp milk

In a medium-sized bowl, whip the ingredients until thick and spreadable.       

 

 

                                             GINGERBREAD BISCUITS

100 g (3.3 oz) butter, cubed

75 g (2 ½ oz) brown sugar

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

100 g (3.3 oz) honey

250 g (8.3 oz) self-raising flour

1 ½ tbsp ginger powder  

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg yolk, whipped

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line two large tins with baking parchment.  Melt butter, sugar, fresh ginger and honey over low heat and allow to cool.

 

Mix flour, ginger powder and soda in a bowl with a wooden spoon and gradually stir in the butter/sugar mixture and the egg yolk and knead to make a dough.

 

Shape the dough into 20 g balls and place on the prepared tin and bake for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

 

 

      

 

                                                     BUTTER BISCUITS

1 cup butter 

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 vanilla

3 cups plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Whip butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Stir in the egg and vanilla and fold in the flour and baking powder until very well combined.  Divided he dough into 2 pieces, wrap each piece with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour at least.

 

Roll out the dough, thinly, and cut into as many biscuits as possible and place on tins lined with ungreased baking parchment and bake for 10-12 minutes until crisp and slightly brown. When completely cold garnish with icing.          

  

 

                                              GREEK BUTTER BISCUITS

Kourabiedes are the famous Greek Christmas butter biscuits.

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 vanilla

2 cups self-raising flour mixed with

½ cup ground blanched almonds

1 cup icing sugar for rolling

 

Whip butter, sugar and egg until smooth and fluffy, stir in the vanilla and blend in the flour/almond mixture to form a dough kneading for 10 minutes at least.

 

Take teaspoons of the dough at a time and shape into balls, logs, or “S” shapes.  Place the biscuits 2 ½ cm (1 inch) apart and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and dust lavishly with icing sugar.   

 

 

                                              GREEK HONEY BISCUITS

Melomakarona are Greek biscuits prepared over the Christmas and new year holidays.

 

For the biscuits:

150 g (5.3 oz) fine semolina

500 g (16.6) plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

A large pinch of salt

100 ml (3.5 liqu oz) orange juice

3 tbs Metaxa brandy

100 g ( 3.5 oz) sugar

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/3 tsp cloves powder

½ tsp grated nutmeg

1 vanilla

½ tsp baking soda

90 ml (3.2 liqu oz) water

125 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil

 

Syrup:

250 ml (1 cup) honey

2 cups sugar

500 ml (2 cup) water

(Boil the ingredients, stirring occasionally, until a thick syrup is formed)

Roasted ground almonds for garnish.

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Stir the wet materials in a bowl and in another bowl mix the dry ingredients flour and spices.  Join the 2 mixtures together and knead gently until a soft pliable dough is formed. 

 

With a teaspoon,  take small portions of the dough the size of an egg, roll out into oblong shapes placed on a baking dish lined with parchment and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour the syrup evenly over.  Allow the biscuits to absorb the syrup and cool in the baking tin.

 

Serve sprinkled with blanched, roasted and thickly ground almonds.