Three different festive bakes
We have several recipes for you and all those people you love, so you can share the sugary, petal-filled goodness around. Choose between the Christmas cookies, gluten-free shortbread and the vegan gingerbread, or better yet, make a mixture of all three and give them as a gift to friends and neighbours. These recipes are also great fun to make with kids, once they have finished school for the holidays.
Christmas cookies (makes 20)
You will need
- 300g flour
- 200g sugar
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- 200g butter (at room temperature)
- 1 egg (for sticking the flowers on)
- Pinch of salt
-
Certified edible flowers: violets and carnations and fuchsia depending on the season.
- Christmas cookie cutters
Get to work
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the flowers together into a smooth dough, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and cover a baking tray with baking parchment.
Dust the kitchen counter with flour then remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on the countertop. Use the Christmas cookie cutters to cut biscuits out from the dough, then place them on the baking parchment.
Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. While waiting, beat the egg in a bowl. After the time is up, remove the cookies from the oven and decorate them one by one. First, lightly brush a cookie with egg, then place the edible flowers on top, lightly pressing into the dough so that it remains in place.
Bake the cookies for another 5 minutes until the edges start to brown
Gluten-free shortbread with edible flowers (makes 20)
You will need
- 200g gluten-free flour
- 100g caster sugar and extra for dusting on top
- A good pinch of sea salt
- 120g butter (at room temperature)
- 40g chopped pistachios
- 1 egg (for sticking the flowers on)
- Certified edible flowers: violets and carnations and fuchsia depending on the season.
- Christmas cookie cutters
Get to work
Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt, then add the butter and mix it until it is a crumbly dough. Add the pistachios and mix so that the nuts are well distributed throughout the dough.
Make the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm, and place in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then, take the chilled dough out and place it between two sheets of baking parchment.
Roll out the dough until it is around 1cm thick, then use the Christmas cookie cutters to cut the biscuits from the dough. Bake in the middle of the oven for 7-8 minutes. While you're waiting, beat the egg in a bowl.
Remove the biscuits from the oven and decorate them one by one by first brushing lightly with egg and then pushing the flowers into the dough. Bake for another 3-5 minutes until the edges start to go brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sugar, and then let them cool.
Vegan gingerbread biscuits with edible flowers (makes 20)
You will need
- 260g flour (you can also use gluten-free flower for a gluten-free option)
- 1tsp baking soda
- 1/4tsp salt
- 1/4tsp nutmeg
- 2tsp
ginger powder
- 2tsp
cinnamon
- 60g vegan butter (or coconut oil)
- 100g brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 115g golden syrup (or maple syrup)
- 1tsp crushed flax seed (vegan egg alternative)
- Optional: icing sugar for decoration
- Certified edible flowers: violets and carnations and fuchsia depending on the season
- Gingerbread man shaped cookie cutters
Get to work
In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp of crushed flaxseed with 3 tbsp hot water and let stand for 5 minutes so that the structure thickens.
In one large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and all the spices and set aside. In another bowl, mix the vegan butter and brown sugar together, then add the golden syrup and the flaxseed mixture, and mix well until combined.
Add the flour in stages to the wet mixture and mix with a spoon until it becomes a sticky dough. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour. Divide the dough into 2 parts, then shape the parts into flat balls, wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and prepare the baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment.
When the dough has cooled, sprinkle your workplace with plenty of flour, then carefully roll some of the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 0.5cm thick. Then use the gingerbread cutter to shape the biscuits. With a spatula, lift the biscuits from your work surface and place them onto the baking tray, remembering to keep about 2 inches of space between the cookies.
Roll out the remaining dough to cut out more cookies, and repeat this process until all the dough is gone. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are slightly brown on the edges. Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes. Once cool, you can decorate with flowers, icing sugar and piped icing if you like. Enjoy!
MORE, MORE, MORE CHRISTMAS!
Are you all into the Christmas spirit and can't get enough? Check out our Christmas dossier with all the floral inspiration you could ever need, or get started with our DIYs. How about a garland with dried flowers, a colourful Christmas wreath or a Christmas tree with golden flower ornaments? Share all your floral Christmas creations with us via Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #funnyhowflowersdothat, and check out our Christmas Pinterest board for even more Christmas inspiration.
