SWEET TREATS
Twinkling lights, Christmas music, elf-shaped hats and sugar sparkling festive treats… December is upon us! We are never guaranteed a white holiday on the British Islands, but the weather chases us indoors nonetheless. Luckily, at this time of year we are happy to watch the blustery cold from inside as we come together with friends and family to celebrate another passing year.
We also tend to (happily!) let go of many of our healthy rules this month as sugar suddenly appears everywhere in the form of biscuits, chocolates, cakes, pies, mulled delights and candy canes. The tradition of sugar at the holidays is a rather ancient one.
Medieval homes would save sugar and spice to be used especially at Christmastime. They were expensive ingredients back then, so being able to enjoy them at this time of year was a rare treat. It’s a celebration we have continued to carry on today and many of our recipes echo those olden ones.
The Christmas biscuits is one such treat. Originally heavily spiced with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, they were easy to make and easy to share around. England can claim credit for the gingerbread man, having been invented in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
If you fancy a traditional ginger biscuit do try Hawkins Gingerbread. Alastair Hawken set about to save his towns namesake “Grantham Gingerbread” and succeeded reviving the famous recipe, saving it from being confined to the history books.
Today we have the luxury of being able to easily make a Christmas Sugar cookie, similar to shortbread and decorated with festive icing. We must be thankful for the invention of refrigeration that makes it possible to chill these types of cookie doughs.
If you are running late with your shopping and don’t have time to make your own check out these delicious Christmas cookies from Biscuiteers. Biscuiteers began in 2007 with a mission to offer unique biscuits lovingly handmade from start to finish. Their business has gone from strength to strength, the creativity behind this success is obvious in the work they do. During the pandemic they launched online “ice-olation” classes where people could join in to learn how to ice biscuits from home.
Making Christmas biscuits is always a jolly event that the whole family can enjoy together, make as many different shapes as possible! We love this recipe for a biscuit base but the decoration should certainly be bespoke!
However you are celebrating the festive season this year, we hope it is sweet and sparkling, filled with twinkling lights, music and lots of tasty treats!
