Baking Christmas cookies for gifting or as a Christmas treat has never been easier with the Marcato Biscuit Press
Do you remember these? Food memories are the best, aren’t they?
Anyone my age probably had a Mum or a Nan that had a set. Maybe she still has one because these are built to last. The memories these cookies evoke are lovely. My Mum didn’t bake much, but I do remember making and decorating these with her. And now I’m making them with my grandson.
The hardest thing we had to do was choose which design we were going to use next. We made two batches of cookies and because he’s nine he likes to make the biscuit dough. I’ve developed a recipe that is easy and can be made in a food processor. These cookies will last for at least two weeks if kept in an airtight container.
We made butter cookies and a speculaas flavoured cookie that was too yummy and easy to boot.
Making them in a food processor made them easy for my grandson. I just helped him weigh everything out and set him to the task of mixing.
Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 260g plain flour
- 100g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 225g unsalted & chilled butter cut into small cubes
- 2 large yolks
- 5g vanilla (1 tsp)
Method
- Weigh your flour, caster sugar and salt into your food processor. Mix for a few seconds to sift and combine.
- Then add the cold small cubes of butter to the food processor and mix until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add in the two yolks and vanilla and mix again until the mix looks like large breadcrumbs.
- Tip the mix out and bring together by hand.
- Divide the dough into sausage shapes to fit in the cookie press tube.
- Pick a die, assemble and stamp them out.
Speculaas Spritz Recipe
Ingredients
- 375g plain flour
- 250g brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground aniseed (or Star Anise)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250g unsalted & chilled butter cut into small cubes
- 45g brandy or rum
Method
- Weigh the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt into the food processor. Mix for a few seconds to sift and combine.
- Add the small cold cubes of butter to the processor and blitz until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add in the brandy and mix again until the mix starts to come together. Stop when it's almost done, tip the contents out onto a clean bench and bring it together by hand. (I do this because it's easier to get out of the processor while it’s crumbly, before it turns to paste.)
- Divide the dough into sausage shapes to fit into your biscuit press (I got 4 portions from this mix)
- Pick a die, assemble and stamp them out.
Bec’s Tips
- When using a cookie press, don’t use baking paper. If you try to extrude your cookie onto baking paper as you lift your press the cookie will stay stuck to the unit rather than down on the paper. There’s enough butter in these cookies for them to not stick to your tray so extrude away straight onto the cookie sheet, bake, and allow them to cool before removing them.
- Your dough should be soft, but not so soft it sticks to your hands. If it is too soft you will need to cool or chill it. Warning, if you're going to chill the dough you need to leave it in the fringe long enough for the whole mix to be the same texture. For example, If you roll it into tubes, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes your dough will be hard on the outside of the tube and still soft in the centre. This can cause misshaping when they’re extruded through the press.
- Your dough should be the same texture all the way through, if it’s too soft to work with, place it in clingfilm in a flattened disc and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. Then remove it and shape into sausages to fit into the extruder.
- Using a food processor with cold butter should solve all the above issues.
- Changing the die mid pressing is easy, unscrew the end and replace the die then screw back on and continue.
Next Read: Homemade Christmas Spiced Sloe Gin
