Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer cookies - M & B Christmas recap

I love Christmas time. In fact sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm an adult now and I don't need to wake up before the birds are singing on Christmas morning. Just can't help myself, even though the focus is on our children now. I love hearing them sneak down the hall way at some ungodly hour, only to run back down and tell each other "Santa has been!".

I also love baking some little treats that are a little different and that are just for the kids (well big kids also) and seeing their little faces light up as they take bites of my creations. I wanted to make these reindeer cookies for a school break up party but never had time to actually do them so I ended up making some marshmallow snowmen on sticks as shown below.

They were a hit and so easy to make and no baking required. However, back to the biscuits at hand, they were also very easy and I found the dough worked better rested in the freezer instead of the fridge as it was a little harder and easier at holding its shape when transferring from the baking paper to the baking trays. I know some of you are most probably saying "too hard" but you don't have to add the ice-cream sticks or use the decorations I have used as the biscuits themselves are very tasty, they have that hint of spice that will have your taste buds singing Christmas carols all year round!

You will need:
90g butter
1 egg
1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup (25g) desiccated coconut
1/3 cup (35g) wheat germ
2/3 cup (100g) wholemeal plain (all-purpose) flour
1/3 cup (50g) white self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
20 small pretzels
1/4 cup (45g) dark choc-bits
10 choc orange balls (I used Jaffas)

Have butter and egg at room temperature. Beat butter, egg and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until combined.

Stir in coconut, wheat germ and sifted flours and spice.

Enclose dough in plastic wrap, refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm (1/4-inch) thick. Place on tray, refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees / 350 F, line baking trays with baking paper.
Using a 9cm (Mine was 8cm) round cutter, cut rounds from dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place rounds about 3-inches apart on trays.

Slide an ice-block stick under each cookie, press down firmly. (You don't have to use ice-cream sticks if you don't want as they biscuits look cute enough without them).

Position two pretzels on each cookie for antlers, press down firmly.

Decorate cookies with choc bits for eyes and mouths, bake about 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Adding your choc orange balls after they have been baked, pressing firmly on the hot biscuit and then leaving to cool completely.

Merry Christmas! M x

Christmas M & B style - a recap

So it's been a while huh? Quite a long while to be (non) specific! Thanks for still checking in and reading and cooking though. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying some time off with friends and family. We had our usual family lunch and present exchange on Christmas day. It's mayhem now with all the kids being ages 1 to 11, but of course, where kids and Christmas are paired, it is absolute gorgeously fun mayhem.

To get back on track before the new year, we thought we would have kind of a Christmas recap. For this post I'll share some pictures from our family Christmas lunch. No recipes, just food. Glorious food (that said, if you must have some recipes, please ask and we will see what we can do!). M will also be posting some Christmas treat recipes she prepared over the last few weeks.

Our family are chronic over-caterer's as you will see, a total first-world problem I realise, but it's kind of all part and parcel of celebrating Christmas for us. It's a a time when we are all reflecting on being thankful for what we have and for our loved ones and celebrating the year with them. So with that in mind, I present Christmas Day, Maude and Betty-style!

 

Maude made a delicious chunky guacamole, despite her distaste for avocado and tomato. It was served with corn tortillas that had been shallow fried and dusted with smoked paprika. 

 

Maude also made a delicious and refreshing watermelon fruit punch.

 

There was the usual potato salad, but this time with a spicy hommus twist!

 

Right on-trend, quinoa made the cut for the menu this year. This was a white quinoa and roast vegetable and feta salad with a lemon and mint dressing.

 

Turkey and stuffing. Need I say more?

 

A garden salad with prosciutto, eggs and parmesan. We're a bit of a Caeser salad loving group.

 

A gingerbread house was also constructed by Maude and her cherubs (apologies for the blurry pic!)

 

A chocolate and ginger ice-cream tart made the dessert menu.

 

Donna Hay's trifle cake also made the menu

 

Of course, is any good old Aussie family Christmas day complete without an actual trifle?

 

And last but not least, that gingerbread house again. Poor gingerbread man!

 

Season's Greetings! B x