Festive pineapply biscuits

Gluten Free Gingerbread Biscuits

60 grams butter; 100 grams golden syrup; 100 grams brown sugar; 1 ½ cups gluten free plain flour; 1 tsp Christmas spice mix ie cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger; ½ tsp bicarbonate soda; 25 grams finely diced dried pineapple; 25g finely diced crystallized ginger (optional)

In a small saucepan add the butter, golden syrup & brown sugar, & place over a low heat. Keep watch & give it a little stir every so often.

Once the ingredients are melted together give them a good stir then remove from the heat & let it completely cool down.

In a large bowl combine flour, Christmas spices. Mix & bicarbonate of soda.

Pour the golden sugary concoction into your flour, mix well. Add the diced pineapple & ginger.

Turn your dough out onto a piece of cling wrap & wrap tightly. Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

Sprinkle a little extra flour onto a large piece of baking paper & roll out your dough with a well-floured rolling pin until it’s about 1/2cm thick. Cut out your biscuits using whatever shape you like. Leave the biscuits on the tray where they are & place straight back into the fridge to set for 1 hour.

Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC & once hot, pop those trays of biscuits straight from the fridge into the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the outside edge & tops of the cookies are just slightly starting to brown.

Remove from the oven & allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.

Fruity Nutty Christmas Biscuits

1 cup walnuts; ½ cup almonds; ½ cup pecans; 1 cup pitted dates; 1 cup candied cherries; 2 cups dried pineapple; 1 cup dried cranberries; ¾ cup all-purpose flour, divided ; ¼ cup butter, softened; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1 whole egg; ½ teaspoon Christmas spice mix ie cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Chop the fruit & nuts, mix together. Add ½ cup of the flour. Toss until well combined, then set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter & brown sugar together until smooth. Add the egg to the butter mixture & mix until incorporated.                           

Stir in the remaining flour, Christmas spice mix, baking soda & vanilla extract. Pour the wet mixture over the fruit & nut blend. Combine everything by hand until evenly distributed.

Line four trays with parchment paper, divide the mixture into 48 drops & place 12 on each sheet.

Bake two sheets at a time in the top third of the oven for about 20 minutes. Rotate the sheets after 10 minutes & keep an eye on the bottoms to avoid over-browning.

Transfer the baked cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container.