Mary Berrys Stained Glass Window Biscuits Food

STAINED GLASS WINDOW BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Using an electric hand whisk, whisk together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Once lightened and creamy add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and mixed spice and then add the vanilla extract and mix with a wooden spoon until you reach a biscuit dough consistency.
• Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and roll out to about 1cm/½in thick. Cut out biscuit shapes (such as stars or Christmas trees) and place onto the lined baking tray (you may need more than one tray, or to cook in batches).
• Using a smaller cutter or a small knife cut out the centre of each biscuit. Place a boiled sweet into the hole (cut in half if your hole is smaller than 2.5cm/1in) and place in the preheated oven to cook for 15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp with the sweet melted.
• As soon as the biscuits are baked and while they are still warm, use a straw to poke a hole out of the top of each biscuit. Be careful not to make this hole too near the edge of the biscuit. Once the melted sweets have hardened, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Thread a length of string, ribbon or florist's wire through the hole and hang the biscuits on the Christmas tree so the lights can shine through the centres.

GINGERBREAD STAINED GLASS BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a pan until melted. Mix the ginger and flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the melted mixture and stir - it will fizz a little - then pour into the flour mixture with the egg. Stir to combine. The mix will be soft but will firm up as it cools.
• Scoop the mixture into a box or fridge bag and chill for at least 1 hr until firm enough to roll out. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for three months.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Briefly knead the first piece, then roll it on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick. Cut into shapes with snowflake or star cutters about 12cm across, then transfer to lined baking sheets, leaving a little room for them to spread. Cut a window out of each biscuit using another cutter about about 6cm across, then add a sweet to the centre.
• If the sweets are large, chop them up first - you'll have to judge by the size of the hole. (Don't be tempted to add too much or it will spill over the edge.) If you plan to hang the biscuits, make a small hole in the top of each one using the end of a piping nozzle (the hole will close up a little so make sure it's big enough). Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in batches for 5-6 mins or until they darken slightly and the sweets have melted. If the holes have closed up, remake them while the biscuits are warm. Leave to cool and harden up completely before moving them. Don't forget to bake the parts you've cut out, too! You can decorate the biscuits further by using white piped icing, if you like.