Kitchen Project #155: Christmas Biscuit Bonanza

Oh, we are sooo back for 2024!

Hello,

Welcome to today’s edition of Kitchen Projects. Thank you so much for being here.

We are just over half way through the glorious recipe advent, the 12 days of Christmas! From Florentine Millionaire’s Shortbread to Hot Cocoa Mix to Hot Buttered Rum Caramels, it’s been a delicious ride so far.

Today it is all about my favourites… it’s the annual Kitchen Projects Christmas Biscuit Bonanza! I’m so excited about this years selection and I can’t wait for you to get stuck in. You’ll find half of the recipes, below, while the other half is available on KP+ now. There can never be enough cookies, after all.

What’s KP+? Well, it’s the level-up version of this newsletter. By joining KP+, you will support the writing and research that goes into the newsletter (including the commissioning - and fair payment - of all the writers), join a growing community, access extra content (inc., the entire archive) and more. Subscribing is easy and only costs £6 per month. Why not give it a go? Come and join the gang!

Love,
Nicola

P.S. Did you know you can gift a Substack subscription? If you’ve wanted to join KP+, or you have a baker in your life who you think would enjoy the extra detail and access to all the goodies here on Kitchen Projects, click here!

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Have Yourself a Merry Little Biscuit

For me, Christmas doesn’t really begin until I’ve published the biscuit bonanza on Kitchen Projects.

This is my FOURTH bonanza - can you believe it?! (2021, 2022, 2023) - and though I sometimes approach it with a little trepidation – how will I develop new recipes? Is there still any festive cheer to be squeezed out of my KitchenAid? Is there such a thing as too many cookies? Will I slip up and end up including an illegal cookie/biscuit in my selection (I know what is ‘allowed’ in a Christmas Cookie / Biscuit selection is a hotly contested topic)?! Only time will tell.

Before we go any further: I WILL be using cookie / biscuit interchangeably during this newsletter. I know, it’s transatlantic and confusing, but the double meaning - and mis-meaning - of the words in British and American English leave me no choice. No matter which word you see, know that what I *mean* is a small, two-to-three-bite-maximum sweet baked treat that.

So, even though each year I have a little bit of creativity anxiety, when the biscuit week comes, it ends up being one of my favourite weeks of development. I usually have a few rules that I follow and cookie categories to tick off:

• One with icing (and) sprinkles

• Something jammy or fruity

• An ultra chocolatey one

• A firm shortbread based

• Something chewy and soft

• An outrageously christmassy flavour

• One fun shape!

Some cookies can exist in several of these categories, but no matter what, each of these items needs to be checked off. As I dive into this year’s selection, brand new for 2024! Can you guess which is which?

Let me introduce you to:

• The Baci Biscuit - Inspired by the Italian baci chocolates, enjoy a swirly ring of rich hazelnut shortbread with buttery ganache and a roasted hazelnut

• St Clements Olive Oil Linzers - Thin crispy citrus spiked olive oil and rosemary cookies sandwiched with marmalade

• Rum Gingerbread Amaretti - a classic, slightly boozy, cookie with great chew.

• Terrazzo Shortbread - ALL the colours of chocolate - white, blonde, milk and dark, in a melt-in-the-mouth shortbread cookie (KP+)

• Maple Cinnamon Bows / Pretzels - A simple, crunchy cookie in the most resplendent shapes. (KP+)

• Mont Blanc Iced Gems - chestnut shortbread with paste, covered in a meringue. Stunning! (KP+)

Alright, shall we get into it?

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Baci Biscuit

I love baci, the little foil-wrapped Italian chocolates with truffly gianduja and a whole hazelnut in the center. I didn’t realize until researching this piece that baci means "kisses," in Italian! And there’s already a famous cookie called baci di dama (lady’s kisses), which comprises hazelnut cookies sandwiched with ganache.

This is my version, featuring a swirl of chocolate hazelnut shortbread and a rich butter ganache topped with a roasted hazelnut. I love how retro these look, too.

The Recipe

Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients

Dough

• 30g roasted hazelnuts

• 50g light brown sugar

• ¼ tsp flaky salt

• 100g unsalted butter, soft

• 100g plain flour

• 10g cocoa powder

Ganache

• 80g dark chocolate (72%)

• 60g butter

• Pinch of salt

To finish

• 12 roasted hazelnuts

Method

1. Grind the roasted hazelnuts, flaky salt, and light brown sugar into a fine powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the soft butter, and cream until light and airy. In a stand mixer, this will take about 2 minutes on medium speed.

2. Add the plain flour and cocoa powder, mixing on the lowest setting until an airy dough comes together.

3. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe 12 shapes (20–25g each, about 1.5 inches tall) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space for the cookies to spread.

   

   Mixing

4. Dip a half-teaspoon measure into boiling water and press into the star-shaped dough mounds to create a crater.

5. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if preferred.

6. Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan). Bake the shortbread for 18 minutes, then remove from the oven and repress the craters to ensure enough space for the ganache. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the tray.

   

   Cratering

7. Chop the dark chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave or in a bain-marie, then add the butter and whisk until combined and smooth.

8. Pour the warm ganache into the craters in the cookies, and before it sets, top each one with a roasted hazelnut.

   

   Finishing

Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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St Clements Olive Oil Linzers

Crispy rosemary, lemon and olive oil cookies sandwiched with marmalade, you have to be brave and roll these thinner than you think to get the best texture. Remember, with any sandwich cookie you are doubling it up! So, 2 cookies = 1 cookie! This dough is not the easiest to work with - olive oil gives it an unusual texture, so the fridge really is your friend here. And while star cutters aren’t essential, they are adorable.

Though the sandwiches are great, these make amazing thin crispy biscuits. They will remain crisp for longer without the jam sandwich, too.

To decorate, it is super quick to whip up some candied orange peel. We are cutting into very fine shreds, so it candies very fast. I love the way these look and what you don’t use can be kept in the fridge for other festive decorating.

The Recipe

Yield: Makes about 12 sandwich biscuits, or 24 individual thin biscuits. I use a star cutter, about 7.5cm, but use whatever you’ve got!

Ingredients

Dough

• 50g Butter

• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary, about 2g

• 150g Plain flour

• 50g Caster sugar

• 20g Fine cornmeal

• ½ tsp Baking Powder

• Pinch of salt

• 30g Olive oil

• 30g Milk

Glaze

• 100g Icing sugar

• 20g Lemon juice

Candied Orange Peel Decor

• 1 x large orange

• 200g Water

• 170g Caster Sugar

Method

1. Heat butter with finely chopped rosemary in a small saucepan until foaming. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Mix together plain flour, sugar, polenta, baking powder and a pinch of salt. With the mixer running, pour the olive oil into the mix and stir to combine - it will turn into little sandy rubbles. Do the same with the slightly cooled but still melted butter. It will absorb but won’t hold together. Finish the dough by adding the milk - it might feel a bit greasy, but it will clump together.

3. Press the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll until quite thin, about 2–3mm. Remove the top piece of paper, cut the shapes out you want to use (I use a 7.5cm star and 8cm circle, then a piping tip to cut out circles) then place the paper back on and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

   

   Rolling out and cutting

4. Heat oven to 160°C fan. Move the cut out shapes carefully onto a tray lined with baking paper. Don’t fight your dough - it’s too soft, put it back in the fridge. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Re-roll any excess and repeat. Leave to cool on the tray.

5. For the candied peel decor, zest the orange with a peeler into thick strips and remove any pith with a sharp knife. Bring a small pot of water to boil then boil the strips for 1 minute to soften and clean. Pass through a sieve and set aside while you get the candy syrup ready. In the same pot, heat the water and sugar together until simmering then add the strips. Cook for about 30 minutes on a simmer or until translucent. Leave to cool in the syrup.

   

6. To finish, make the glaze by stirring together the icing sugar and lemon juice. Check the texture - it should be thick enough to coat a spoon but run off when shaken. You can also test it on a cookie - it should spread nicely. Before the icing has set, decorate with candied peel, if desired.

7. Coat all the tops in icing, using an offset spatula to help you, then leave to set. Place all of the bases on a clean tray or cutting board and spoon a little marmalade in the middle. Place the tops on - though don’t press down too hard as these cookies are a touch fragile.

   

   Icing

   

   Sandwiching

8. These biscuits are also great without being made into sandwiches - a lick of icing is great though.

Storage: Sandwich cookies keep in an airtight container for 3 days, though they are best on the day they are made as they get softer. Thin biscuits, without sandwiching, will keep for up to a week.

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Rum Gingerbread amaretti

If one recipe in your Christmas cookie collection doesn’t scream festive flavor, then I think you’re doing it wrong. This is simple but effective—so sticky, chewy, and teeming with ginger flavor. You could certainly amp up the zestiness with a little orange juice and zest, or swap the rum for vanilla extract or coffee. While squashing the amaretti as they are almost finished baking isn’t traditional, I do love the way it looks—you might prefer the snowball look!

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 50g crystallized ginger

• 100g dark muscovado sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ginger

• ¼ tsp flaky salt

• 150g ground almonds

• 15g rum

• 30g egg whites

Plus: Plenty of icing sugar

Optional: 50g chopped dark chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan).

2. Chop the crystallized ginger into small pieces (about 2–3mm) and add to a mixing bowl with the sugar, spices, salt, and almonds. Stir to combine.

3. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until medium peaks form—this helps the egg whites combine more easily with the other ingredients.

4. Pour the whisked egg whites into the dry mixture and stir to combine. You may find it easier to mix with your hands, as it will be sticky. If the mixture is too sticky to manage, add 10–20g more ground almonds.

   

   Making the mix

5. Portion the dough into 25–30g balls (about the size of a golf ball) and roll each ball generously in icing sugar.

   

   Portioning and squashing

6. Place the coated balls on a baking tray lined with paper.

7. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and press each cookie gently with a spoon for a flattened look (or leave as tall balls if preferred). Return to the oven and bake for another 2–4 minutes, depending on how gooey you like them.

Storage: Store the amaretti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days