Mix together the flours and sugar
in a large mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into small chunks
and add to the bowl.
Rub the butter into the mixture
using your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
Make a well in the centre of the breadcrumb
mixture and add the egg. Mix together until a ball is formed. You may find
using your hands is easiest.
Separate the dough into two
balls. Place one ball of dough onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll
out using a rolling pin. You want the dough to have a thickness of between 5mm
and 7mm. Repeat this process for the second ball of dough and place both sheets
of rolled out dough in the fridge to chill for at least 30 mins.
Once chilled, cut the dough using
Christmas themed cookie cutters. We used 3.5 inch cutters.
Place the cut dough onto a baking
tray lined with either a silicone mat or non-stick baking paper, leaving a gap
between each.
Put the baking tray in a
preheated oven at 160°C fan and bake for 12-15 mins.
Remove from the oven and leave
the biscuits on the tray for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Icing
Sift the royal icing sugar into a
mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
Add 2 tsp warm water to the well
and stir, gradually incorporating the royal icing sugar.
When the icing gets too thick to
stir, add another tsp of warm water and keep repeating these steps until the
icing runs off the spoon in ribbons and forms a pattern on top of the bowl of
icing. When you jiggle the bowl the pattern should slowly disappear.
Colour the icing and prepare
piping bags with round nozzles. We used Wilton #2 and #4 piping nozzles.
Alternatively, cut holes at the end of the piping bags approx. 1mm and 2mm
wide.
Use the smaller piping nozzle to
pipe borders around the biscuits.
Fill the biscuits using the
larger piping nozzle and give the biscuits a gentle tap on the worktop to
settle the icing. Pop any air bubbles with a cocktail stick.
Add the sprinkles while the icing
is still wet.
Either dry the icing over night at
room temperature or place the biscuits on a baking tray and pop them into the
oven at its lowest temperature for approx. 30 mins.
