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Hot Cross Cookies

Preparation 15 Minutes

Cook 15 - 17 minutes Minutes

Serves 24

Method
Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line cookie trays with baking paper.
Beat butter, vanilla, sugars and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in sifted flour and bicarb soda, in two batches. Stir in fruit, nuts & chocolate.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls; place 5cm apart on trays.
Bake cookies 15 minutes or until golden; cool on trays.
Once cookies are cooled, pipe cross with melted white chocolate.

Notes: Each cookie weighed 50g before cooking to make 24. Keep a few extra currants and choc chips to add to cookies when removed from oven to decorate top.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

3/4 cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cup (335g) plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

200g White Choc Chips

1/2 cup (70g) Sunbeam Macadamia

1/2 cup (85g) Sunbeam Currants

Extra white chocolate to pipe cross

Recipe Collection

Christmas Fruit Pudding

Combine fruit, brandy, rinds and apple. Cover and set aside overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, beat in golden syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition
Combine breadcrumbs, flour, spices and almonds. Add creamed butter mixture and soaked fruit, mixing well to combine.
Grease a 2 litre capacity pudding basin, line the base with a double layer of baking paper.
Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth top. Double line the top with baking paper rounds.
Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and 60cm piece of foil, layer and fold in half, make a 3cm pleat in the middle (this allows for any expansion of the pudding). Place sheets over pudding and secure tightly with string. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, fill one third with water and bring to boil. Carefully place pudding onto wire rack making sure the water level comes about halfway up pudding basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, replenish water when needed.
Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve cut into slices with cream and maple syrup.

Custard-stuffed Hot Cross Doughnuts

Place the water, sultanas, currants, cinnamon, vanilla bean and honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer to cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Liqueur 43 (if using). Set aside for 30 minutes to steep and cool. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon quill. Drain through a sieve set over a jug, reserving the steeping liquid. Set aside.

To make the custard, place custard powder in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix until smooth and well combined. Stir in the remaining milk, then add the cream. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool. Spoon into a piping bag and place in the fridge until required.

Place the warmed milk in a jug. Add the yeast and 3 tablespoons of reserved steeping liquid to the warm milk. Set aside in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes until foaming. Place flour, mixed spice and butter into the bowl of a large food processor (your processor needs to be at least 12 cups). Process until butter is incorporated. With the motor running, pour the milk mixture and egg. Process for 1-2 minutes or until dough has formed a ball and is smooth and elastic. If the dough is a bit to sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is the right consistency. Add drained sultanas and pulse to combine. Turn onto a floured surface and bring the dough together. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour or until mixture has doubled in size.

Line two trays with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, knocking the air out. Cut the dough into 16 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the lined tray and flatten slightly, allowing a little room between each to expand. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes to prove.

Place 4 doughnuts in the wire basket of an air fryer and brush with melted butter. Air fry at 180°C for 8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. (Alternatively, heat a saucepan of vegetable oil to 160°C and deep-fry doughnuts, turning halfway through, for 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through).

Cut a small slit into the base of each doughnut. Pipe custard into the slit on the base of each doughnut. Return to the rack, cut side down.Step 7

Brush the doughnuts with the remaining reserved steeping liquid and set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Place the melted white chocolate melts into a piping bag. Snip the corner and pipe a cross over each doughnut. Set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Chocolate Bunny Cakes (Gluten Free)

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C). Line 10 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
Place eggs, honey, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat well with electric beaters for 2 minutes. Fold in the almond meal, flour, cocoa and baking powder until mixture is well combined. Stir in the sultanas.
Spoon mixture between paper cases and bake for 22-24 minutes until cooked. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For icing, beat together the cream cheese and honey until smooth. Dollop over the top of cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut. Decorate with ears and nose.

Chocolate Ripple Christmas Wreath

You will need to begin this recipe the night before

Whip the cream to soft peaks.

Spread a few tablespoons of whipped cream onto the base of a 26-28cm round serving plate. This will stop your wreath from sliding around.

Dollop 1 flat tbsp of whipped cream onto a biscuit and top with another biscuit. Repeat until you have a stack of 5 biscuits, the top biscuit should not have any cream on top.

Repeat to make 8 stacks of biscuits.

On the prepared serving plate, arrange the biscuit stacks into a wreath shape. Spread the entire biscuit wreath with just enough whipped cream to ensure the biscuits are covered on top and around the sides. Refrigerate overnight, reserving remaining whipped cream.

When ready to serve, spread remaining whipped cream around the wreath. Decorate with dried fruit and nuts.

Boiled Fruit Cake

Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy
Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water. Cool for 15 minutes.
Add lightly beaten eggs mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.
Place in a 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160°C for 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in tin.

Thermo cooker method:

Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy.
Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar into TM bowl and heat 7 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1.
Add bicarb soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water and gently stir through with the spatula – the mix will froth up but should not spill over.
Cool for 15 minutes in TM bowl.
Carefully add all remaining ingredients apart from the blanched almonds in the order listed and mix 10 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix 5 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
Place in a lined 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160ºC for 1¼ to 1½ hours. Cool in tin.

Mini Fruit Pies

Preheat oven to 180oC

Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
Place almond meal, flour, sugar into a food processor and process until combined. Add butter and egg mixture and process until a ball forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 6cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 24 circles from the pastry. Line the base of 24-hole non-stick mini muffin pan (or use two 12-hole pans). Fill cases with fruit mince.
Re-roll pastry and use a 4cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut 24 circles for the lids. Brush the underside of lid lightly with water before gently pressing onto pie. Cut a small cross in the middle of each lid.
Bake at 180oC for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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