Christmas Cookies

MAKES 1 TRAY

For the dough: 312 oz (100 g) mixed nuts if desired, 5¼ oz (150 g) assorted dried fruits if desired, 1¾ cups (225 g) flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg, ½ tsp gingerbread spice, 1/3 cup + 1¾ tbsp (110 g) dark raw cane sugar, ½ cup (110 g) ice cold butter in cubes, 2 large eggs, 2 tbsp cream sherry or brandy (or alternatively, milk)

To sprinkle on top: dark raw cane sugar

Additional: butter for the baking sheet

Finely chop the nuts and dried fruit, separately, and set aside. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Mix the spices and the sugar together. Integrate the cubes of butter into the flour using your fingertips so that a crumbly mixture forms. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add in the sherry (or brandy, or milk respectively), chopped nuts, and dried fruit. Combine all ingredients together with a wooden spoon to form a homogeneous dough.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C), unless you have a convection oven, in which case preheat to 320°F (160°C), or a gas oven, in which case preheat to level 3. Place the dough on the greased baking sheet a tablespoon at a time, being sure to leave plenty of space between the cookies. With the back of a fork, press down lightly on the mounds of dough to make them slightly flat. Sprinkle each of them with cane sugar.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Then place the cookies on a wire rack and let cool completely.

 

It is a quote. Christmas Cookies Dozens of Classic Yuletide Treats for the Whole Family 2015