My 1st Batch of Xmas Cookies

Usually I buy my recipe books for reading pleasure, never once did I use any recipes from it. So an impromptu me decided to take 1 recipe out from this book that I bought recently. Got it from the recent Expo Popular Fair that my dear friend brings along to. Thanks to her, I got to go to the fair a day earlier than the public. =) Thanks Cindy..

I like this book cos it has many different types of recipes - Cookies, Breads, Cakes etc and most important, it has step by step pics that I greatly rely on. At least I refer to the pics and roughly know that I am following on the correct 'line'..... LOL

As I am meeting my dear girlfriend this Saturday for an early Xmas lunch and gift exchange, I decided to make some home-baked cookies for them as well. Decided to try royal icing for the first time and let my gal had a hand at it too. So she can have some fun after I am done with mine. 1 stone kill 2 birds huh. Anyway she had so much fun doing it that all the words that comes out from her mouth is flattering words to mummy. (Kept on saying mummy so smart, clever, blah blah..)

I missed out a step in the recipe, and I omit the sweets part. Ok, it is supposed to be crushed candy to fill up the center portion of the biscuits. But I jus use the cookie recipe to cut out the shapes I want and deco with royal icing. And I forgot the almond flour cos I was too busy screaming at the kids while I prepare the dough to fridge for later use. 

Else than the stickiness, which cld be from the shortage of 15g almond flour, I added 2tbsp flour to the dough after I take out from the fridge. The taste, it is more like powdery texture, similar to those German cookies. But cos I bake longer so it doesn't break easily, it is a bit crunchy but powdery. Perhaps could use the butter cookies next round.

Cookies (modified from Home Baking by Parandal)

75g Unsalted Butter, soften

65g Icing Sugar

30g Egg

145g Cake Flour

15g Almond Flour (I forgot so replaced with 2Tbsp flour)

1g Salt

1) Whisk butter and icing sugar

2) Add in egg and mix well. Fold in flour and mix into a dough

3) Put on cling wrap and press to form a disc. Fridge for 1 hour

4) Roll out and cut into shapes after taking out from fridge

5) Bake at 180deg for 10mins

*i bake about 15-20mins*

Royal Icing ( adapted from www.wretch.cc/blog/bear1210)
純糖粉 (Icing Sugar) 180g
新鮮蛋白(Egg White) 30g
檸檬汁 (Lemon Juice)1/2小匙
香草精 (Vanilla Extract) 1/4小匙

Add all ingredients together. Separate into portions that u wan to colour and add colourings