BetterHomesAndGardensAustraliaDecember2015_

82 BETTER HO AND GARDENS, DECEMBER 2015 bhg.com.au

Lime shortbread letters

Wonky gingerbread trees

Caramel macadamia tart

Lime shortbread letters

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Makes about 30

125g unsalted butter,

chopped, softened

¹⁄³ cup icing sugar mixture

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cups plain flour

Icing sugar mixture, to dust

1 Preheat oven to 160ºC.

Line 2 oven trays with baking

paper. Put butter, sugar, zest

and vanilla in the bowl of an

electric mixer and beat for 5

minutes or until light and

creamy. Sift in flour. Stir with a

wooden spoon until combined

and a smooth dough forms.

2 Roll out dough between

2 sheets of baking paper to

5mm thick. Use alphabet cookie

cutters to cut out letters,

re-rolling as necessary. Put onto

prepared trays, 2cm apart.

3 Bake for 15 minutes or until

very light golden. Transfer to a

wire rack to cool completely.

Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Wonky gingerbread trees

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Makes 6

125g unsalted butter,

chopped, softened

½ cup caster sugar

2 Tbsp golden syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

2¹⁄³ cups plain flour

3 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Icing sugar mixture, to dust

ICING

1 egg white

1¼ cups pure icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line

4 oven trays with baking paper.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl

of an electric mixer and beat until

light and creamy. Add golden

syrup, beating to combine. Add

egg, beating to combine.

2 Sift flour, ginger, cocoa and

bicarb over butter mixture,

stirring to combine.

3 Turn out dough onto a lightly

floured surface and knead until a

smooth dough forms. Roll out

dough between 2 sheets of

baking paper to 5mm thick.

Using round biscuit cutters or

cardboard templates, cut out six

of each 7cm, 6cm and 5cm

rounds; eighteen 4cm rounds;

and twelve of each 3cm and 2cm

rounds. Using a 2cm star cutter,

cut out 6 stars. Re-roll dough as

necessary to cut out all pieces.

Arrange pieces on prepared trays

3cm apart. Bake two trays at a

time for 12 minutes or until

golden and firm to touch. Cool

completely on trays.

4 Meanwhile, to make icing,

put egg white in the bowl of

an electric mixer and whisk on

low for 1 minute or until frothy.

With motor running on low,

gradually add icing sugar,

whisking after each addition.

Add lemon juice and continue

whisking until thick and holding

its shape. Spoon icing into a

disposable piping bag and snip

tip to form a 3mm opening.

5 To assemble, put 7cm rounds

on a clean flat surface. Sticking

together with icing, top each with

a 4cm round, 6cm round, 4cm

round, 5cm round, 3cm round,

4cm round, 2cm round, 3cm

round, then 2cm round. Put star

on top of each tree, standing

upright. Set aside for 30 minutes

to allow icing to set firmly. Serve

dusted with icing sugar.

Caramel macadamia tart

Preparation time: 20 mins

plus 3 hours chilling

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 6–8

Cooking oil spray, to grease

1 cup plain flour

¼ cup icing sugar mixture

100g butter, chopped,

chilled

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp water, chilled

40g golden syrup

40g butter, chopped

395g tin sweetened

condensed milk

½ cup macadamia nuts,

roughly chopped

Extra icing sugar mixture,

to dust

1 Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Grease a 19cm loose-bottomed

fluted tart tin with cooking oil

spray and line base with baking

paper. Line an oven tray with

baking paper and set aside.

2 Put flour, icing sugar and

chilled butter in the bowl of a

food processor and pulse until

mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Add egg yolk and water, pulsing

until mixture forms a soft

dough. Shape dough into a disc

and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3 Roll out dough between 2

sheets of baking paper to form

a disc about 30cm wide and

4mm thick. Line prepared tin

with dough, trimming excess,

and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prick base all over with a fork.

Roll pastry trimmings into a ball

and roll out again until 5mm

thick. Use a 5cm-tall tree-

shaped cookie cutter to cut 6

trees. Arrange trees on

prepared tray, cover with plastic

wrap and refrigerate.

4 Line dough in tin with baking

paper. Fill with uncooked rice or

baking weights, then bake for

10 minutes. Remove baking

weights and paper and cook for

a further 8 minutes or until

light golden. Set aside to cool.

5 Meanwhile, put golden syrup

and butter in a medium saucepan

over a medium heat. Once butter

melts, add condensed milk and

cook, stirring constantly, for 8

minutes or until mixture is thick

and light golden. Remove from

sweettreats

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