DIFFICULTY: 3

INGREDIENTS PER 4 PEOPLE

self raising flour, 2+1/2 cup
the zest of one lemon
lemon juice, 2 tbsp
a pinch of salt
sugar, 1/2 cup
egg, 1
vanilla essence, 1 tsp
butter, 1 stick

To decorate:
red jam, 3 tbsp
icing sugar
dark chocolate, 2,5 oz
ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp
brown sugar, 2 tbsp
butter, 1 tsp
mini coloured chocolate balls or sugary balls
almonds and nuts
glazed cherrys
chopped hazelnuts
desiccated coconut, 7-8 tbsp
Christmas pastry cutters

PROCEDURE

Put the flour on your worktop and make a hole in the middle. Add salt, sugar, the egg, diced softened butter, lemon juice, the vanilla essence and zest.
Knead quickly and shape the mixture into a ball. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, wrapped in cling film.
Roll the pastry flat about 1/2 cm thick, using a rolling pin.
Cut the pastry into big and medium size stars, reindeers and Christmas trees.
Then, cut some circles. Half of them will need to have a hole in the middle, you can use a smaller pastry cutter in the shape of a star.
With the pastry left, make some smaller circles and put a nut or a glazed cherry in the middle.
Lay the biscuits on a baking tray covered with baking paper and cook them at 350 F for about 15 minutes, till lightly golden. When baked, put the biscuits on a rack to cool. Now you can garnish them:
– Snow-clad biscuits:
in a bowl stir ricotta and brown sugar. Spread it over the biscuits and sprinkle with coconut poeder.
– Jam biscuits:
cover with icing sugar the halves with the hole while spreading the jam on the halves without. Lay the two sides together like a sandwich.
– Chocolate biscuits:
melt the chocolate in bain-marie, adding a tsp of butter to obtain a more shiny and silky texture.
Brush the Christmas trees and the reindeers with melted chocolate then, let them dry on a rack.
Spread chocolate on the biscuits, add the little sugar balls and let dry over a rack.

Be creative and garnish the biscuits as you like, you can also use walnuts, almonds, candied chierries and much more!

Thanks to: My Little Italian Kitchen