Over in the General Discussions part of the board, there's a thread about the kinds of Christmas and Holiday cookies people usually make - and I thought some of you may be willing to share tried and trusted recipes here?
To start us off, while cookie baking (biscuit baking) isn't as common over here in the UK as it seems to be in the US, Christmas is one of the few times of year when I do like to make food to give away as presents. I did make gingerbread last year from a US recipe, and here it is (I've added UK measurements - we weigh rather than use cups - and I also added in a tablespoon of chopped stem ginger because I like my gingerbread fiery)
Gingerbread cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter
¾ cup (150 g) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
½ cup (170g) molasses (I used black treacle)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
Directions:
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl until well blended.
2. In a separate large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and egg until well blended. Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
3. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap (cling film) and let stand at room temperature for at 2 hours. Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but return it to room temp before using.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C/Mark5. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick and cut out cookies into preferred shapes. Space cookies 1½ inches apart on the sheets.
6. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies). Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until they’re firm enough to move to a wire rack. When they’re cool you may decorate them.