Cookies are a lovely sweet treat to have at any time, but I always bake these at Christmas because I love to give them to friends as gifts. They keep in an airtight container for up to three weeks, so they are perfect to keep in the pantry if you can resist them. As a bonus, and they also feature in my easy Strawberry shortcake recipe, which is perfect to make anytime during summer. If you’re like me, with these in your house, you’ll find any excuse for a cuppa and a cookie.
What you’ll need:
250 grams unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup (75 grams) caster sugar
¼ cup (85 grams) honey
2 cups (300 grams) plain flour, sifted
½ cup (80 grams) rice flour, sifted
½ cup (75 grams) macadamias, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
Icing sugar to dust
What to do:
Preheat your oven to 150°C.
Beat the butter, sugar and honey with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Then using a spatula, add the flours, salt and macadamias and mix. Use your hands and knead lightly until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to the thickness of around 1.5cm, then refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the butter in the dough to harden again. This will make cutting out the cookies much easier.
Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out the shapes and place them on a tray. Bake for 14 minutes or until the edges just begin to lightly brown. Cool on the tray for five minutes before gently transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
I used a 7.5cm round cutter which made 16 cookies, but the yield will vary depending on the size and shape of your cutter.
Props – Tea pot and mug from kikki.K
Recipe, photo and styling by Karen McFarlane
