I wanted to do something christmassy, so I figured I would put recipes for some traditional christmas foods and desserts. I’m starting off with something that’s probably a familiar to most people. A lot of people like to decorate their cookies, but I prefer to leave them as is. This dough is a relatively small batch, but if you have an evening free for baking I’d recommend making double the amount. The cookies keep well for ~a month, if stored in an air tight container.

• 1/2 dl dark syrup
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp powdered bitter orange
• 1/4 tsp powdered allspice
• 1/4 tsp powdered clove
• 100g room temperature butter
• 1/2 dl sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 dl cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ~4 dl flour

1. Combine spices and syrup in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat, and leave to cool.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until they form a uniform paste.
3. Add the slightly cooled syrup mixture, egg, cream and baking soda to the butter mixture. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until uniform.
4. Add the flour in 2-3 batches, using a spatula to fold it in. The dough will be relatively soft, but it shouldn’t stick to the spatula. smooth over the surface, and cover with clingfilm. Leave the dough to rest in the fridge overnight.
5. Roll out the dough in batches, keeping the rest of it in the fridge. I usually roll about a fist sized piece at a time. Use a lightly floured surface, and occasionally flip over the dough to ensure it doesn’t stick to the surface.
6. Once thin enough, using a cookie cutter, stamp the rolled out dough, and remove excess dough. Using a thin, metallic spatula lift the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake cookies in 175°C oven for ~6 minutes. The baking time is dependent on a few factors, so keep an eye on the first batch of cookie to get a feel on how long it will take.