Snow Flakes Food

BUTTER SNOW FLAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and orange zest. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Fill a cookie press or pastry bag with dough, and form cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cookies are golden brown on the peaks and on the bottoms. Remove from cookie sheets at once to cool on wire racks.

SNOW FLECKED BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the sides and base of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
• Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat. In a bowl or large measuring glass, beat the eggs together with the sugar and vanilla extract. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate. Beat just to combine and then scrape into the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it; the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.
• To serve, cut into squares while still warm and pile up on a large plate, sprinkling with powdered sugar pushed with a teaspoon through a small sieve and dotting with birthday candles as you go. Set alight and enjoy the festive scene.

SWEET SNOWFLAKE CRISPS

Steps:

• Working with one at a time, gently fold wonton wrapper diagonally so that corners meet. Repeat with opposite corners to create a small triangle. Using kitchen shears, cut desired shapes into corners and sides of triangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep finished snowflakes in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel, while working.
• Heat 1 inch oil in a large cast-iron skillet until shimmering. Test oil with a scrap of wonton wrapper; it will sizzle immediately when oil is hot enough to fry. Working in batches so as not to crowd skillet, fry snowflakes until golden, flipping once, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheets, spreading in single layer. Using a small sieve, dust with confectioners' sugar; serve immediately.

SNOWFLAKE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the butter in a bowl and beat it with electric beaters until soft and creamy. Beat in the sugar, then the egg and vanilla, and finally the flour to make a dough. If the dough feels sticky, add a little flour and knead it in. Chill for 20 mins in the fridge.
• Roll the dough to about the thickness of a £1 coin on a lightly floured surface. Cut out snowflake shapes using a biscuit cutter, then re-roll the off-cuts and repeat.
• Bake for 8-10 mins or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins before trying to move them. Cool completely.
• Roll out the fondant icing to the thickness of a 50p piece. Use the same cutter to stamp out the icing. If you have smaller cutter you can stamp out holes in the middles of some of them. Brush each biscuit with a tiny amount of honey and press an icing snowflake on top.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a pipeable icing, and spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a straight piping nozzle. Pipe patterns onto the snowflakes and add silver balls and sprinkles as you decorate. Leave to dry completely.

SNOWFLAKE ROLLS

Steps:

• Place all ingredients into the pan of your bread machine. Program the machine for Manual or Dough. Adjust the dough consistency as necessary with additional flour or water; the finished dough should be soft and supple.
• Allow the machine to complete its cycle.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 16 pieces.
• Shape each piece into a ball. Place in a greased 11-inch square pan.
• Sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
• Sprinkle more flour just before placing in the oven.
• Bake rolls in a preheated 375ºF for 16 to 18 min, or until they're light golden brown.
• Serve warm.