Michelle Darmody: Snowman buns and cheesy Christmas biscuits
Snowman buns
These last days before Christmas can be busy. Even if there are fewer people visiting your home this year there may still be a lot to do. The mince pies, made with puff pastry are a great alternative to the more typical variety and are much quicker to make. They are delicious especially if you eat them freshly baked.
This icing recipe that accompanies the snowman buns can be used for other Christmas treats. If you are using it for a Christmas cake you can add a half a teaspoon of glycerin to stop it from going too hard and you will have to scale the recipe up depending on the size of your Christmas cake. Readymade Christmas fondant decorations are available to buy if you prefer, but it can be fun to make your own. Marzipan is also an option for creating decorations, you can add a few drops of food colouring to either the fondant or marzipan. There have been interesting innovations in natural food colours over the past few years and they are becoming more readily available in baking shops.
I find that I eat quite a few 'picky' things over the Christmas time; dips, patés, cold meats, smoked salmon. These cheesy crackers are a great vehicle for many different toppings. If cheddar is not your favorite cheese you can substitute another cheese of similar density. The biscuits can be cut into whatever shape you wish, but if you are using a variety of shapes, I would ensure they are similar in size so that they all bake at the same time.
- 200g butter
- 190g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp cake spice, sieved
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- the zest of 2 oranges
- 225g icing sugar
- the white of 1 egg — or 2 tsp of pasteurised egg white powder mixed with 2 tbs of warm water
- 1 tsp of orange juice
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole bun tin with large bun cases.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, alternating with a few spoons of flour. Add in the remaining flour and the spices, zest, and vanilla. Combine all the ingredients — making sure to scrape the edges of the bowl well so that the butter and sugar mixture is completely mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
- Spoon the mixture evenly between your bun cases. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden on top.
- Once cool enough to handle, place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, whisk the icing sugar, egg white, and juice until smooth and shiny. Ice the buns once cool.
- To make the snowmen, mold 24 white fondant balls, 12 a little smaller than the other dozen. Sit the smaller ones on top of others using the white royal icing you made as a 'glue'. Fashion 12 red scarfs, and 12 hats, gluing these on as well. Add a face to each snowman and place them onto your iced buns.
- a large sheet of puff pastry, about 350g in weight
- 400g Christmas mince
- the zest of 2 oranges
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tbs milk
- Preheat your oven to 200°C and line 2 flat baking trays with parchment.
- Cut your large sheet of pastry into 12 even squares. Place them onto your prepared baking tray.
- Spoon the mince into the center of each square and then bunch the edges up slightly around the mince, pinching the pastry into shape. Sprinkle the orange zest into the center where the mince is still exposed.
- Mix the egg yolk and milk and brush it onto your pastry. Bake for about 15 minutes until the pastry is golden. Once cool enough to handle, place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cheesy Christmas biscuits
- 120g cheddar cheese, grated
- 120g cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 120g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp freshly-cracked black pepper
- Beat all of the ingredients together until combined. Wrap the ball of dough in some parchment and place it into the fridge for at least an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 170°C and line two large flat baking trays with parchment.
- Roll the dough to about 4 mm in thickness and cut the biscuits into whatever shape you wish. Place the cut biscuits into the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool them down again — this will ensure a crumblier result.
- Place onto the trays with a bit of room between each. Bake for between 10 and 15 minutes until golden. You can top with nuts or more cheese if you wish by adding these just before baking.
