Christmas spiced shortbread

Fiona Anderson

Decorating the Christmas tree has always been a big deal in our family — attaching sweets, treats and candy canes to branches and imagining that moment when we’d take them off to eat. These days spice is more my thing than sugar, so it’s spiced shortbread that is hung from the tree.

Ingredients

100 g	Caster sugar, plus extra for rolling
200 g	Unsalted butter
300 g	Plain flour
¼ tsp	Ground nutmeg
¼ tsp	Ground cloves
½ tsp	Mixed spice (Main)
½ tsp	Ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 170C.
2. Beat sugar and butter for 5 minutes until pale and creamy.
3. Sift flour and spices on to a clean, dry bench top, then gently fold in creamed sugar and butter until a soft dough starts to form, being careful not to overwork.
4. Sprinkle the bench with a little extra caster sugar and gently roll dough with a rolling pin until about 1cm thick. Sprinkle with more caster sugar if required to prevent it from sticking.
5. Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters to cut shortbread shapes and place on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Cook for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.