Holiday baking

Delicious biscuit recipes for December

Chocolate and Cranberry Biscuits

250 ml cake flour (140g)

65 ml self-raising flour (35g)

5 ml bicarbonate of soda

80 ml cocoa powder

125 ml dried cranberries (75g)

110g toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

135 ml butter (125g)

1 egg

5 ml vanilla extract

350 ml soft brown sugar (275g)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Sift the flour, self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa together in a bowl. Add the raisins, nuts and chocolate chips. Mix well to cover.
3. Cream the butter, egg, extract and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Lightly fold in the dry ingredients.
4. Drop 15 ml of mixture 4 cm apart onto a baking tray lined with Glad Baking Paper. Press down lightly to flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
6. Wrap biscuits in Glad Style Wrap and decorate with ribbon of choice as a gift.

Makes 24 biscuits.

Replace macadamia nuts with pecan nuts or peanuts.

Replace the cranberries with seedless raisins.

Lemon Squares 

125 g butter

75 ml icing sugar (40 g)

330 ml cake flour (185 g)

3 eggs

250 ml (210 g) castor sugar

50 ml (20 g) desiccated coconut

125 ml fresh lemon juice

10 ml grated lemon rind

Extra icing sugar, for dusting

1. Line a 23 cm square cake tin or ovenproof dish with GLAD baking paper, extending the sides 2cm above the edges. Lightly grease with melted butter.
2. Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and creamy. Add 250 ml of flour and mix through.
3. Press mixture in an even layer over the base the pan or dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until golden in colour.
4. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, castor sugar, remaining flour, coconut, lemon juice and rind together until mixed. Pour over the hot base.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares or rectangles. 
6. Dust with extra icing sugar and serve.

Makes 16 squares, depending on size.