Fate Christmas Cookies

These cookies taste like Christmas!  I have used a good mix of dried fruit together with spice and orange zest to give a rich flavour. Your kitchen will be filled with the scent of Christmas as they bake. They freeze well and are freely allowed. Recipe is enough to make 12 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

250g Fate Low Protein All Purpose Mix

75g block butter, and a little extra for greasing

1 tsp baking powder

35g soft dark brown sugar

2 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

grated rind of 1 large orange

50g dried cranberries, roughly chopped

25g dried apricots, roughly chopped

25g glace cherries, washed and roughly chopped

25g sultanas, roughly chopped

85g golden syrup (the kind you get in the tin)

suitable bright Christmas shaped sprinkles

Preheat the oven, Gas 4, 180° C 350° F.

Place the Fate Low Protein All Purpose Mix into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the baking powder, dark brown sugar. spice and the orange rind. Then add the chopped cranberries, apricots, cherries and sultanas. Stir well.

Carefully weigh the golden syrup into a small dish and then scrape onto the mixture in the bowl (a warm spoon will help). Mix very well, until it starts to come together, then use your hands to make a dough. Be careful to incorporate any syrup that sticks to the spoon.

Turn the dough out onto the worksurface and knead it until it is an even colour. The dough will be smooth but still a little crumbly.

Grease 2 large baking trays with a little butter. Divide the cookie dough into 12 even sized pieces (they’ll weigh about 44g).

I find it best to bake the first cookie as a test. Take a piece of dough and form it into a ball, then flatten it slightly to about 5cm in diameter and 2cm deep. It doesn’t have to be a perfect round shape, and it won’t matter if there are a few cracks in the surface, this is what gives the cookie it’s traditional look. Place onto the baking tray and press some sprinkles into the surface. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 mins.

The cookie will spread when baking, so this test is to see how much you need to flatten them before baking. If the cookie spreads too much, it will be flat, thin and crispy, so you’ll need to either shorten the baking time or don’t flatten them as much.

Shape the rest of the dough pieces, and place them onto the baking trays. Top with sprinkles. Keep a space of 3cm between them.

Bake for about 12 mins. They will be golden brown and very soft, with a firmer edge. Leave on the tray for 5 mins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.