Edible decorations…

Many countries produce amazing edible decorations for Christmas - biscuits bring us together across the world! In Germany for example, Lebkuchen is very popular and these spicy gingerbreads are available in a variety of shapes and are beautifully decorated. At traditional Christmas markets the smell of the Lebkuchen and mulled wine is a heady mix. In Italy no self-respecting Nonna (Grandma) is without her secret recipe for Christmas biscuits.

Across the pond in the USA cookie making is a serious business and school bake sales and family homes contain some miniature works of art from just cookie dough and honey glaze. 

If you want to try something different this Christmas then why not create your own decorated Christmas cookies? It could be a fun way to pass a cold December afternoon with children or grandchildren.

If you make your own dough (or buy readymade) then you can choose any shape or size, depending on the cutters you have available. If however baking is not your thing but you want to enjoy the fun of just decorating, then there are lots of plain Christmas cookies available at most supermarkets, in a variety of shapes.

All you need to do is make the honey glaze by mixing 

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup or runny honey (I prefer golden syrup)
• ¼ tablespoon of vanilla paste
• 4 teaspoons of milk to start the mix, you may have to add more but do so little by little to get the consistency you want. You want a fairly dense icing so don’t add too much.

1. Start by making the basic white coloured icing then spilt into smaller batches, depending on the colours you plan to use. Use a gel colouring if possible and add just a little at a time, a cocktail stick is useful for this.
2. Put each coloured icing into a separate standard sandwich bag and snip off just a tiny bit at the end to make an icing bag. The icing will stay soft for an hour or so in the bag so you have plenty of time for creativity.
3. For the best results create an outline of the shape you want to fill on the cookies, let it stand for a few minutes then fill in the middle of the outline. To avoid mess, decorate the cookies on grease proof paper.

Have fun and while decorating your biscuits you could say a prayer for others round the world who are doing the same thing, gathering together to enjoy colour, crunch and taste while celebrating the wonder of Jesus’ birth.

Julie Barr