Festive Bakes- 2017

Hi everyone! I metioned on my Instagram account that I would be posting recipes from my 2017 Festive bakes. This is first recipe is for my buttery, melt in the mouth biscuits.
Its really simple to make and only needs 3 ingredients!

Ingredients
85g unsalted butter (softened)
50g caster sugar
110g self raising flour

Method
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the unsalted butter and caster sugar, until you have a fluffy, pale mixture

2. Sieve the flour into the bowl amd use a metal spoon to combine with the butter and sugar. You can then use your hands to bring everything together.

3. If the dough is dry, or not coming together, add a little milk and knead.

4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4), and put greaseproof paper onto a baking sheet. If you don't have greaseproof paper, just grease the sheet lightly with butter.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the 

dough to the thickness of about 1cm. You may want to flour your rolling pin aswell, as the dough has a tendency to stick and break. Cut out the biscuits and place on the baking sheet.

6. Using a fork, gently poke the centre of each biscuit, to help them cook evenly. You may want to sprinkle some sugar over the top.

7. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, 

until the biscuits are a light golden brown, and crisp to the touch.

8. Leave to cool on a cooling rack, then dive in and enjoy!

Makes around 10-15 biscuits.

My second recipe is for my rich, choclatey mini cupcakes. These make great little treats or gifts and are simple to make!

Ingredients
60g unsalted butter (softened)
60g Caster sugar
1 egg
45g self raising flour
15g cocoa powder
Additional Equipment
Petit fours cupcake cases

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4)

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until you have a fluffy, pale mixture.

3. Crack in the egg and continue beating.

4. Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder, and gently fold in with a wooden spoon. If the mixture is a little stiff, you can always add a few drops of milk to soften the batter.

5. Using a teaspoon, spoon the batter equally into the petit fours cases. At first this can be a bit challenging a the cases are so small, but trust me it gets easier with time!

6. Bake for around 10-12 minutes until a skewer comes out clean or the cakes spring back to the touch.

Makes between 12-15 cakes
Serving Suggestion: Serve these cakes warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.