It’s Day Four of Cookie Week and I’m finally getting around to my second cookie! It’s been a busy week. But if this year’s Cookie Week is anything like last year’s Cookie Week, I know folks are going to be using our Pinterest board for holiday baking inspiration in weeks to come, so I wanted to share something a little different, with a British twist.
This recipe comes from a Jamie Oliver Christmas magazine a couple of years ago, December 2012, in fact. But, of course, he called them Christmas Pudding Biscuits. I think the only thing I’ve changed, besides the name, is to put just a little bit less flour so that the round cookie I like to bake is less dry.
Jamie rolls them out and bakes them flat, like sugar cookies, but my cookie scoop makes the most perfect little Christmas pudding-shaped cookies and when that idea originally popped into my head, I couldn’t resist.
Make sure you scroll on down to see the other cookies we’ve baked for you today.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
2 2/3 oz or 75g toasted flaked almonds
5 1/3 oz or 150g medool dates, pitted
3 oz or 85g dried mixed fruit
Grated zest 1 orange
1/3 cup + 1 rounded tablespoon or 85g caster sugar
1/3 cup or 85g butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/3 cups or 165g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
For the brandy butter:
1/4 cup or 50g butter, softened
1 cup or 125g icing or powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1-2 teaspoons brandy
Method
Put the toasted almonds in your food processor and process briefly to chop them up.
Add in the dates, mixed fruit and orange zest and pulse until finely chopped. This could make your food processor jump around quite a bit so make sure to hold it down while pulsing. Set aside.
Combine your flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl.
In another larger bowl, cream together your butter and sugar. Add the egg to the butter and sugar and beat well until combined.
Stir in the flour mixture, mixing well.
Now fold in the almond/fruit mixture from the food processor. It looks like it’s going to be dry and bits keep falling out but persevere. Soon it will come together into a nice thick dough.
At this point you can wrap the dough in cling film, chill it for 20 minutes and then roll it out and cut it as you would sugar cookies or - my idea - you can scoop it into little balls with a cookie scoop. They look like little Christmas puds!
Either way, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
I scooped mine into little balls and baked for about 14-16 minutes, until they were golden on the outside and a little darker on the bottom.
While they bake, you can make your brandy butter.
Use a wooden spoon to beat the softened butter together with the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.
Once it’s light and fluffy, add in the brandy one teaspoon at a time, beating well in between.
The brandy transforms the butter and sugar into something even more fluffy and light and wonderful. If you aren't using it right away, it will stiffen back up in the refrigerator and you may need to let it warm up a little before it will spread.
Once the cookies are baked, allow them to cool completely before you top them with a swipe of brandy butter.
Enjoy!
Many thanks to our Cookie Week hosts Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Susan of The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen! We’ve got a great team of 12 bloggers bringing you five fantastic days of cookie recipes to get you in to the holiday spirit. Are you feeling like a cookie monster yet? If not, you should be – because resisting all these delicious cookies is nearly impossible!
Grab a warm cookie from our Cookie Week bloggers!
And here's what you might have missed from Tuesday and Wednesday while I was shaking cocktails and stirring noodles!
Make sure you scroll on down to see the other cookies we’ve baked for you today.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
2 2/3 oz or 75g toasted flaked almonds
5 1/3 oz or 150g medool dates, pitted
3 oz or 85g dried mixed fruit
Grated zest 1 orange
1/3 cup + 1 rounded tablespoon or 85g caster sugar
1/3 cup or 85g butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/3 cups or 165g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
For the brandy butter:
1/4 cup or 50g butter, softened
1 cup or 125g icing or powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1-2 teaspoons brandy
Method
Put the toasted almonds in your food processor and process briefly to chop them up.
Add in the dates, mixed fruit and orange zest and pulse until finely chopped. This could make your food processor jump around quite a bit so make sure to hold it down while pulsing. Set aside.
 |
| There are still going to be some small chunks and medium-sized chunks. |
Combine your flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice in a bowl.
In another larger bowl, cream together your butter and sugar. Add the egg to the butter and sugar and beat well until combined.
Stir in the flour mixture, mixing well.
Now fold in the almond/fruit mixture from the food processor. It looks like it’s going to be dry and bits keep falling out but persevere. Soon it will come together into a nice thick dough.
At this point you can wrap the dough in cling film, chill it for 20 minutes and then roll it out and cut it as you would sugar cookies or - my idea - you can scoop it into little balls with a cookie scoop. They look like little Christmas puds!
Either way, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
I scooped mine into little balls and baked for about 14-16 minutes, until they were golden on the outside and a little darker on the bottom.
While they bake, you can make your brandy butter.
Use a wooden spoon to beat the softened butter together with the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.
The brandy transforms the butter and sugar into something even more fluffy and light and wonderful. If you aren't using it right away, it will stiffen back up in the refrigerator and you may need to let it warm up a little before it will spread.
Enjoy!
 |
| I cannot tell you how perfectly these go with a cup of tea! |
Many thanks to our Cookie Week hosts Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Susan of The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen! We’ve got a great team of 12 bloggers bringing you five fantastic days of cookie recipes to get you in to the holiday spirit. Are you feeling like a cookie monster yet? If not, you should be – because resisting all these delicious cookies is nearly impossible!
Grab a warm cookie from our Cookie Week bloggers!
- Christmas Pudding Cookies from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Dulce de Leche Stuffed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Susan at The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Nutella Skillet Cookie from Erin at Dinner, Dishes and Desserts
- Pink Coconut Cookies from Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic
- Triple Ginger Snaps from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
And here's what you might have missed from Tuesday and Wednesday while I was shaking cocktails and stirring noodles!
- Banana Walnut Biscotti by Chocolate Moosey
- Brown Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies by The Cooking Actress
- Candy Topped Toffee Squares by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Chocolate and Hazelnut Skillet Cookie by Cravings of a Lunatic
- Guava Thumbprint Cookies by Mind Over Batter
- Fudge Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups by Chocolate Moosey
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Oreo Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Maple Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies by Hungry Couple
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Pineapple Cookies with Vanilla Rum Glaze by Cooking in Stilettos
- Savory Cheddar Coins by Crumb
- S'mores Cookies by Cravings of a Lunatic
- White Chocolate Cranberry Ginger Cookies by Jen's Favorite Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies by The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen
