Spiced Honey Christmas Cookies

November 12, 2020

Inspired by German Lebkuchen Christmas cookies that are similar to gingerbread, these spiced bickies are beautiful simply naked, sprinkled with a touch of icing sugar or you can be decadent and do the choc dipping as described below  for festive vibes. Note: The flavours develop far better over time so if you can make the dough a day before resting in the refrigerator overnight you will be well rewarded. Recipe by @laura_hobby_baker

#NuttelexChristmasRecipes

Ingredients

85 g plant based Nuttelex

200 g honey

200 g flour

100 g almond meal

1/4 tsp bi-carbonate soda

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground mix spice or all spice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

fine zest from 1 small orange

festive themed cookie cutters

Chocolate coating

200 g block dark chocolate

(Optional) White chocolate drizzle

1/2 tsp plant based Nuttelex

50 g white chocolate

Or....dust cookies with a mixture of vanilla sugar/icing sugar

Directions

1In a small saucepan over a low heat melt Nuttelex & honey and set aside.

2In a bowl sieve all dry ingredients. Add the finely grated orange zest & vanilla along with the cooled honey & Nuttelex mixture. Bring everything together to form a sticky mixture.

3Wrap the dough in cling film, pop it in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour or until ready to bake.

4Baking time: Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced.

5Roll dough out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 2 cm thickness. Cut out shapes with your cookie cutters you have on hand.

6With lightly damp hands measure out 1 tablespoon size scoops of the mixture and carefully place on a lined tray allowing for room to spread during baking process. Bake for 15 minutes or until the have risen & feel firm to touch.

7Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.

8Place 150 g dark chocolate in a heat proof bowl and place on top of a filled pot on a low heat on stove top to slowly melt chocolate - ensure the bottom of the heat proof bowl does not touch the water beneath. Stir the chocolate with a metal spoon as it melts. Once dark choc has melted, add the remaining 50 grams of dark chocolate, this is called tempering. Take bowl off the heat and allow the chocolate you've just added to melt also into the other chocolate.

9Place cookies one by one in melted chocolate using a fork to help you pluck them out of the chocolate gently. Tap each cookie dipped in chocolate on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess. Continue until all cookies are covered.

Festive White Chocolate Drizzle

1For white chocolate drizzle, melt the white chocolate in the same process as above but also add 1/2 teaspoon of plant based Nuttelex butter into mix & then drizzle as desired across cookies.

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